


That's My Girl

by Lenk



Category: Saint Seiya
Genre: Alternate Universe, Drama & Romance, Extramarital Affairs, F/M, One Night Stands
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-13
Updated: 2018-07-17
Packaged: 2018-10-18 14:34:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 213,771
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10618947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lenk/pseuds/Lenk
Summary: Shaina avoids commitment like the plague, ever since her Mr. Right turned into Mr. Wrong and broke her heart. So after one drunken night with Mr. Stick-in-the-Mud and Him becoming a regular in her day to day life after that, will she finally give commitment another chance? How is her twin sister Geist going to help her? Are Junet and Marin in the same situation?





	1. Chapter 1

" _I gotta go, take the chips and the Pinto and hit the road_

_They say what happens here, stays here, all of this will disappear"_

_\- Carrie Underwood (Last Name)_

 

**Chapter 1**

 

_**April 17th Morning** _

 

Shaina groaned and forced her eyes to open by act of sheer willpower. Only one eye seemed to be willing to move as the other eye was stuck shut, completely protesting due to the bright light coming in from the window. It was hard to keep the one eye that seemed to obey her open, because she had had too much to drink last night. There was no way that her body would want to move. She tried once more to open that eye that insisted on staying shut. It was a slow and painful move but she finally was able to do so. The horrid light coming in from the window was glinting in her eyes. Shaina brought her hands up to her eyes and rubbed them. Her vision was fuzzy, as well as her head.

_'How much did I drink?'_

Shaina passed her hands through her hair and rubbed her head. As she brought her hands back to her eyes she ended up pulling her hair. Her hair had ended up getting caught in the ring she was wearing. Her eyes refocused only to end up focusing on a very large, square-cut diamond ring on her left hand.

 _'When and where did I buy this?'_ She thought to herself.

Something on the side of the bed soon caught her attention. She noticed that her bra was hanging from the lamp shade on the side of the bed as well as what looked like a pair of male underwear. She tried to make sense of the ring on her hand, her bra and the underwear hanging from the lamp. Her head was still fuzzy from all the alcohol that she had consumed. A light moan came from behind her, from the other side of the bed. She felt how the mattress moved and the person that was lying beside her pulled her closer towards him. Shaina's eyes opened a bit wider as she felt her bed companion's morning erection on her back side.

Shaina slowly opened the covers and looked down only to clutch them tightly over her naked breast. She was completely naked underneath the covers. It wouldn't have taken her much to make such obvious deduction if it wasn't for the fact that her head wasn't catching up with what was going on, as quickly as it normally does.

_'What the bloody hell did I do now?'_

She tried not to move as much, so that her bed companion wouldn't wake up. She had to admit to herself that it felt nice having someone to cuddle in bed with. She also had to admit that the man sleeping next to her was well endowed. As she focused on the room she was in, from the position she was in, it was obvious now, that the suite she was in was not hers.

A deep and extreme need arose in her. She needed coffee. Hot and aromatic. Right now. For a minute she wondered if room service might just this once read her mind so she wouldn't have to move any more of her body until a nice big cup of hot coffee was within reach.

Her attention came back to the man on her bed. He moved his arm that had been on her waist. She soon felt the warmness that his body provided leave her back. Shaina's curiosity began to grow in her fuzzy head. All that thinking was extremely painful, and her need for coffee increased tenfold. She groaned. Shaina sat up partway and flopped her head forward, and lifted her head slowly. She noticed that her underwear was hanging on the side of the TV. A man's shirt was lying on a chair while his pants were on the floor. Her mind couldn't recognize those garments.

"Morning." her bed companion said in a groggy tone.

Shaina moved her head painfully, quickly, to her right. She'd recognize that voice anywhere, even in her fuzzy state. She sucked in a quick, searing breath and let out an involuntary, audible curse, clutching the sheets against her naked breasts and scrabbling herself to the far edge of the bed. Beside her in the king-size bed was one of the few men she couldn't stand being around with. He was buck-naked, propped up on his elbows, as his eyes were trying to adjust to the morning light.

"What the fuck?!" Shaina croaked. Her voice was still asleep. She wished she were too.

The man's blue eyes focused on her and soon all color drained from his face. Shaina knew that they shared the same mutual feeling towards one another. She looked at the big ring on her left hand and noticed that he had followed as well. Both wide eyed expressions met one another as it soon dawned on them.

"No! No! No!" Shaina kept repeating.

"What happened last night?" He asked as he held his head, obviously hung over.

The man brought his left hand into view. There was a gold band on his ring finger. He looked up at her only to see that she was also looking at his gold wedding band. Shaina wrapped the sheet around her naked body and got out of the bed. She was a bit unsteady at first but kept herself from falling. She looked at her diamond ring and then at him.

"What the fuck did we do?" She yelled at him. "What the bloody fucking hell did we do last night?"

Shaina looked around the room and assessed their situation. Her eyes went back to the man that was still in bed. A slight blush soon adorned her cheeks as she noticed that he was still naked with half of an erection on. He noticed her blushing and soon followed where she had been looking. He grabbed the nearest pillow and covered himself. There was a knock on the door which broke the awkward silence. Shaina pulled the sheet tightly around herself as she heard the door open.

A young man in a hotel uniform entered the suite pushing a dining cart in with him. He announced himself as he walked into the small living room. Shaina grabbed the underwear that was hanging on the lampshade and tossed it to Shaka. Shaka caught the garment and proceeded to put it on. Shaina made her way towards the living area to see what they had brought in. She really didn't care much that she was only wearing a flat sheet around her body. As long as it covered everything that needed to be covered, she was fine.

"Good morning." The hotel employee greeted as he saw a woman come out of the bedroom. He had just finished setting up the small table that was in the room.

"Good morning." Shaina replied as she noticed the small blush appearing in the young man's face upon seeing her. "I think you've made a mistake. We didn't call for any room service."

"Uhm…" the employee fumbled with the paper that was on the cart. "The order was placed last night under Mr. and Mrs. Shaka Mahajan."

Shaina walked towards the young man and took the paper from his hand. She looked it over several times. There was a time stamp on when the order was placed. She read it several times as if to try and see if it could explain more in detail what happened the previous night. The young man looked at her and then at the man that was coming out from the bedroom.

"Good morning sir." The young man greeted once more. He tried to avoid looking at the woman in front of him seeing as the man that approached was the woman's husband.

"Good morning." Shaka greeted and quickly averted his eyes to the woman that he had woken up next to. "Did you order room service?"

"One of us did." Shaina looked away from the paper in her hands and in turn looked at Shaka. "The order was placed last night under Mr. and Mrs. Mahajan."

Shaka noticed the sarcastic tone that he had heard her use so many times directed at him. He took the paper from her hand and read it. He too kept on reading it as if it would answer all his questions. The order had been taken at eleven twenty-two but no other name was given other than Mr. and Mrs. The list of food that was to be brought was reasonable. Something that he usually ate on any given day. He noticed that the list of beverages consisted of tea, coffee, water and mimosas.

"Is there something wrong with the order?" the young man asked.

"No, there is nothing wrong with it." Shaina chimed in before Shaka answered. "Well, there is. If you would be so kind as to remove the mimosa from our bill and take it with you."

"Of course, Mrs. Mahajan." The young man soon took the carafe filled with orange juice and the bottle of Champagne. He never noticed how Shaina cringed at how he had directed himself towards her. "Is there anything else?"

"No, that will be all. Thank you very much." Shaina said as she tipped the young man.

"Thank you." The young man placed the carafe and champagne on the cart, took the bill and placed it in his pants pocket. He looked once more at that table to make sure everything was in order and exited the room there after.

As soon as the door closed Shaina went straight for the table and poured herself a cup of coffee. She noticed that they had provided the creamer and sugar she liked so much. She didn't know whether it was fact that they had ordered this last night or it was pure coincidence. The moment that the prepared hot liquid hit her taste buds all was well for the time being. Shaina sat down in one of the chairs near the table. She didn't pay much attention to the fact that Shaka had approached the table. Shaka began preparing himself a cup of tea. He noticed that they had provided three types of teas, all to which were his preferred ones for breakfast. It was obvious that they had ordered room service the previous night.

The couple sat in silence while each drank from their own hot beverages. Neither one made the first move in talking. Silence at the moment was their best choice. Shaina got up from her chair and directed herself to the coffee table. The latest newspaper was there, as well some other reading material. She decided to take her phone with her as well. There could be someone that might be trying to get a hold of her or even have some answers to the previous night. Shaina sat back down in her chair, she set the papers on the table and began going through her phone. There were no missed calls so far, yet there were several text messages that were not read. Shaina went through all the messages; one by one she read them all. There was some from work, which she quickly answered back. The last three text messages on her phone were from Junet. The first one was Junet telling her that she had ordered her a drink. The second one was received two minutes after the first one, telling her to hurry up. To this Shaina just rolled her eyes and continued looking at her texts. The third and last that June had sent her, was asking for her and the rest to keep her brother busy. Shaina looked at the text and lifted her eyes to take a quick look at the man that was sitting across from her.

' _Oh by the looks of it, I did keep him busy alright. We both kept each other busy.'_ she thought to herself.

Shaka looked at the papers that Shaina had placed on the table. He moved the newspaper to the other side of the table and looked at the other reading material that had been underneath. There was a couple of brochures, a magazine and a velvet blue booklet with gold letters reading, Graceland Wedding Chapel. He took the booklet in his hands and opened it. Inside the booklet was what looked to be a copy of Elvis and Priscilla Presley's marriage certificate, their marriage certificate, a DVD and wedding pictures. He took out their marriage certificate and read through it. He looked at his signature; there was no way that it was forged. Placing the certificate on the table, he proceeded to look at the wedding pictures. There in full color was the evidence of their wedding. There were pictures of the entire ceremony, from beginning to end. He looked at the ones where both of them were looking at each other and where they were kissing. They both looked like any couple that was in love and willing to share their lives together. Truth be told it was the complete opposite to what it seemed in those pictures. They didn't like each other that much. They tolerated each other's presence for the sake of his sister and her friend.

Shaka looked at the woman in front of him once more. Shaina had submerged herself in checking her cell phone. He looked at how she ate a piece of fruit and for a second it seemed like the most interesting thing he had ever seen before. He couldn't help but notice how she licked the tip of one of her fingers clean from the leftover juice. The simple gesture made a vague image appear in his mind. The image involved him sitting up in bed while Shaina was riding him. Her head was slightly back while she licked her lips as she enjoyed riding him. Shaka had to shake the image from his mind. He had never had any physical attraction to the woman in front of him; he wasn't going to start now. His body on the other hand had reacted to the image in his head. Shaka had to sit himself up a bit more just to hide his growing arousal. At that moment he decided to bring up the subject that they were both avoiding. It was the perfect thing in order to make his arousal subside.

"It's official, you and I are married, Mrs. Mahajan." Shaka said getting the attention of the woman across from him. For a moment he enjoyed catching her off guard. He saw the look she gave him as she looked up from her phone.

"Look, all I want to do is to finish my coffee, get dressed and put this behind me. I suggest you do the same." Shaina said as she turned her attention back to her phone.

"You don't think I want to do the same?" his question came out like a statement more than anything else. "Here is the certificate and pictures. I'm guessing the DVD that is in this booklet is our wedding video."

Shaina looked up from her phone once more and gave him a stern look. She sighed in defeat and placed her phone on the table. She took the paper from the table as well as the stack of pictures. Her eyes couldn't believe what she was seeing. There in black ink was her signature along with his and two witnesses. The pictures didn't help much either. They were smiling at each other like two dumb idiot teenagers; kissing like them too. They were three sheets to the wind drunk and it was as plain as the eye can see. She placed the pictures back on the table and looked at her so called husband.

"It's quite obvious that we were both very drunk." she stated while looking at him. Shaina sat up on the chair and looked at him with the same stern look that she'd use with many of the clients she dealt with. "We'll just have to tear up that marriage certificate and get on with our lives, Mr. Mahajan. In this case, what happened in Vegas is definitely going to stay in Vegas."

Shaina tossed the pictures on the table and grabbed her phone. She needed to get out of that room and get changed, so she could go back to her own room and shower. Shaina stood up from her chair and looked at him as that finalizing their conversation. Shaka Mahajan looked at her with his deep blue eyes in a sort of patient, holier-than-thou manner that really irritated the hell out of her. He went back to drinking the last of his tea, which irritated her even more.

"Tearing up the paper doesn't change the fact that we are husband and wife, Shaina," Shaka said as he placed his cup back on the saucer.

"Listen up, Shaka, I don't care what that paper says; I am not your wife. I'm going back to my hotel room and I suggest you do the same." Shaina crossed her arms with a raised eyebrow. Shaina turned on her heel and began to head back to the bedroom. Her sheet slipped, but instead of readjusting it she let it fall on the living room floor. She didn't care whether he saw her naked or not. It was obvious that it wouldn't be the first time he had seen her bare.

Shaka remained sitting in his chair and just looked at the woman disappear into the bedroom. He poured himself a full glass of water and drank. Once he was done with that he refilled it from the metal pitcher the hotel had brought with breakfast. Darn, he was thirsty. He wasn't used to alcohol. He might as well just eat some of his breakfast and enjoy the quiet moment he had by himself, because nothing he said right now was going to make Shaina stop.

' _Of all the women in Vegas, how did I end up married to her?'_ He thought to himself as he took a bite of fruit. _'How did I end up getting married?'_

Shaka took the last bite of his fruit and decided to get up and head into the bedroom. He too needed to get dressed and head down to his own room. He picked up the bed sheet that Shaina had left in the living room floor and set it on the sofa. He noticed a dress lying on the armrest of the sofa. Shaka picked it up and looked at the garment in his hands. Several images of the night before flooded his mind. The moment that he had taken off her dress in such a hurry. The way he had kissed her, hungry, passionately, wanting more and more of her. There was no denying that at that moment he wanted her. Shaka shook his head, what more could he make from those images. He didn't feel the same way now. He made his way into the bedroom and found Shaina half dressed, bent over, moving the comforter off the floor. It seemed like she was looking for something.

"Are you looking for this?" Shaka asked, getting her attention.

Shaina turned to look at Shaka and at the piece of clothing he was holding in his hand. She sat the rest of the comforter on the bed and approached him.

"Yes, thank you." She said, now sounding calmer than how she had spoken to him a few minutes ago. Shaina took the dress from his hand and went back to the spot where she was standing before. "I placed your clothes in that chair over there."

Shaka walked towards the chair and began to change. He noticed Shaina slipping into the bathroom and closing the door behind her. There was no doubt about, the situation they were in felt awkward. They were hardly speaking to one another and there was plenty to discuss.

Shaina walked into the bathroom and locked the door behind her. She leaned back against the door and took a deep breath. Just standing in front of him and taking her dress from his hand had been enough for her mind to be filled with images of them, together. She felt like she'd been hit by a freight train, waking up next to him this morning. Now with all the images in her head it all made her feel worse. She steadied herself on the door and let the shock wave run through her.

The sounds of their moans invaded her senses. The way his hands caressed her body, as he kissed her passionately. The way he had made her come over and over. The images were too vivid in her head enough to make her want to walk back into the room and kiss him senseless. There was no question about it, she had to leave that room right away. Shaina walked up to the sink and ran the cold water. Without thinking twice she splashed her blushed, warm face with the cold liquid. She didn't quite understand why she was feeling like this over a man she never found herself attracted to. A man that by her reasoning was the type she would never fall for. Shaina looked at herself in the mirror and curse under her breath.

' _I'm married… to Junet's brother.'_ She whispered to herself.

Shaina dried her face with the closest towel she could reach. She fixed her hair as best as she could and looked herself over once more in the large mirror. The image reflected back was one she really didn't want to see. Her complexion was pale, more than usual, and her eyes looked like she hadn't slept much. There was nothing she could do at that moment other than leave that suite and head down to hers. Shaina turned on her heel and headed to the door. She opened the door slowly and hoped that Shaka had left already to his own suite. Luck, didn't seem to be on her side as he was sitting on the edge of the bed as if waiting for her to finish. Shaina walked up to the nightstand and grabbed her phone and walked out of the room. In the living room she proceeded to gather the rest of her things. She heard the door to the bathroom close which gave her the perfect timing to get out of the room. A flash of the evening before tumbled out of her short-term memory. Shaka and her in the shower. Shaina had to steady herself on the armrest of the sofa.

' _I need to get out of here.'_ She thought to herself.

Shaina made her way to the corridor only to stop mid-way. There in front of her were two pieces of luggage, which were next to two carry-on bags. She recognized hers and the other she guessed was Shaka's. Letting out a frustrated sigh she went up to the items and took them back into the living room and then into the bedroom. Shaina picked up the room phone and dialed the front desk. It didn't take long for them to answer.

"Good morning, this is the front desk." A male voice came through.

"Hello, my name is Shaina Rinaldi, I'm currently staying in the honeymoon suite and I was calling in regards to the room I rented," Shaina said hoping that her suite was still under her name. The person on the other line asked her a few more questions.

"It looks like you checked out of that room last night. I have the time stamp of ten-ten." The man on the line said. "Is there anything else I may help you with?"

"Yes, could you check if Shaka Mahajan also checked out of his previous room?" Shaina asked hoping that Shaka's previous room was available. She heard the man typing away on his keyboard.

"Yes... Mr. Mahajan checked out of his previous suite." The man said over the line. "Is there anything else I can assist you with?"

"No, that will be all. Thank you." Shaina answered with resignation in her tone. They were both stuck in that suite until tomorrow.

"You are welcome Mrs. Mahajan and congratulations on your nuptials." The man on the other side of the line said with a sincere tone in his voice.

"Thank you." Shaina said in a monotone voice.

Shaina stared at her suitcase for a couple of seconds before grabbing it and placing it on the bed. She opened her suitcase and began to gather some of her clothing. The only thing left to do was to wait for Shaka to come out of the bathroom and take a quick shower.

When Shaka came out of the bathroom he quickly noticed that his suitcase along with his carry-on was sitting on the bed. He saw Shaina was busy taking items out of her suitcase. He was a little confused about the situation. His plan was to leave the room right after he was done but it seemed like something else had happened. Shaka cleared his throat which gained the attention of the woman across the room.

"How did…"

"Apparently, you and I checked out of our previous rooms last night and checked into this suite." Shaina said, interrupting him mid-sentence. "I was so drunk last night I can't even remember getting my things."

"Are you missing anything?" Shaka asked a little concerned. He opened up his suitcase and began to check his things.

"No, I'm not missing anything. How about you?" She asked finally looking up at him.

Shaka checked his entire suitcase and his carry-on. Nothing was missing. He looked up at her and saw that she was waiting for his answer.

"Everything is in here."

Shaina sighed, whether it was of relief or not she sighed. They had both managed to get all of their belongings in a full state of intoxication. Shaina collected her things and began heading to the bathroom.

"S'cuse me, I have to do some things in the bathroom," she said, then disappeared inside the bathroom.

Shaka took his phone from the nightstand and turned it on. Apparently he had turned it off the night before. As soon as the home screen went on his phone kept chiming with several text messages coming in. There were three text messages from work, one related to work and another from Mu. He read all the ones from work, even the one related to work and left Mu's text message for the end. Mu's text was from late last night, asking him if he had made it to his room alright.

Shaka decided to send him a quick text message telling him he had made it to his room and if he knew anything about the rest of their party. He didn't wait for the reply and proceeded with getting his things ready. He heard the water being turned off. Shaka walked back into the living room and gathered the wedding pictures, marriage certificate and placed them all inside the blue booklet. He went back into the bedroom and placed them over his carry-on. They both needed to sit down and have a serious discussion. Shaka had always considered marriage a sacred thing. He knew that was a very old-fashioned concept in this disposable society, but he was firm in his belief. He had to think clearly before making the right decision.

Shaina reappeared with a small cosmetic bag, a fully done-up face, her hair pulled back into a loose ponytail, dressed in a white sleeveless romper with pink and black flowers that clung to her every, lovely curve. There was something about the way she looked that made her look just like a wife would on a honeymoon. She had rendered him speechless.

"I apologize if I took too long." she said.

"No problem at all."

"I'll be heading out soon. Junet texted me while I was getting ready."

"Is everything alright?" he asked as he picked up his things from the bed.

"Yes, everything is fine; birthday girl just wants to get her day started up early." Shaina said with an all knowing smile.

"Mu and I will meet up with you girls later." Shaka smiled back at her.

Both stood there looking at one another as if not knowing what to do. Shaina moved out of the way so Shaka could enter the bathroom and headed towards where her luggage was. She heard the door to the bathroom close, as she looked into her luggage. She placed her dirty clothes in a small laundry bag she had brought from home. Shaina soon heard the water running and that was her cue to go. She grabbed one of the key cards that were on top of the entertainment unit and the rest of her things. It was time to have some fun and put this situation on hold.

 

_**((O))** _

 

Geist and Junet laid face down each in their own massage table. The masseuse finished removing the hot stone off of Junet's back while the other masseuse had just finished removing the stones from Marin's back. As both masseuses finished giving the girls their massage, they left the private room; Junet rose from the massage table. She wrapped the towel tightly around herself and got off the table. Marin handed her the robe that Junet had been wearing earlier and waited for her to get ready. Both women walked out of the room and headed straight for the table that contained glasses filled with cool water and a slice of lemon. Each one took their glass and headed to the lounging area where to their surprise Geist was already waiting for them.

"Well you both looked relaxed." Geist said before she took a sip of her own water.

"That was the best hot stone massage I've had in weeks. It's too bad that it always comes to end." Junet said as sat in one of the chairs next to Geist.

"So did anyone get a hold of Shaina?" Marin asked as she took a seat on one of the other lounge chairs.

"Let me see if I could get a hold of her." Junet placed her glass on the small table and pulled out her cell phone from the robe's side pocket. She quickly began to text her and only hoped that her friend would answer back soon.

"She knew we were coming to the spa in the morning." Geist said

"Yeah... I think it had been her idea to begin with." Marin added.

"I wouldn't blame her if she were still asleep. She sure drank a little too much champagne last night." Geist said with a known smile before taking another sip of her water. "I wouldn't be surprised if she ended up taking someone to her room last night."

"We would have noticed if she went to her room with someone, wouldn't we?" Junet second guessed herself. The whole group had drank a little too much. She had been a bit surprised when her brother had taken a drink or two. Junet's phone soon chimed and she quickly checked her phone. "She overslept. At least that is what she just texted me."

"So typical." Geist said with a smirk on her lips. "Tell her we will meet her at the hotel lobby, from there we can head to the Grand Canal Shoppes."

"Alright..." Junet said as she sent the text message. It took less than a minute to hear that she had received a new text message. Junet checked the message before reading it out loud. "Shaina says that she will meet is in the lobby in fifteen minutes."

"I guess we should head to the changing room." Marin said as she sat her empty glass on the small table.

"Let's go then, my credit card is in much need of a work out." Geist added with smile adorning her lips as she got up from her chair.

With that said all three women headed to the changing room. There was much to do that day and much to celebrate.

 

_**((O))** _

 

Junet had taken the girls to several of the stores she liked at the Grand Canal Shoppe. Marin, Geist and Shaina tried to catch up with her but once Junet was on a shopping spree there was no one to stop her. They visited several stores like Christian Louboutin, Jimmy Choo, BCBGMAXAZRIA, bebe and their current stop, Victoria Secrete. Junet and Geist looked through their bra collection while Shaina looked into their lingerie and Marin looked at their PINK collection. One of the store associates had already given the girls each their own shopping bag. Junet looked into getting three unlined lace demi bras and matching lace & mesh cheekini panties. Geist had moved from the bras and panties and ended up looking at the fragrances that the store carried. She had decided to take two of the perfumes that they carry and a travel bag. Marin finished looking into their PINK collection and went to look at their yoga pants. She loved yoga pants, aside from using them for the gym-she would sometimes use them as regular pants. She placed a pair of yoga pants, two pair of capri and one crop. Marin noticed the shorts that they had and decided to take a pair. She convinced herself that you can never have too many clothes to lounge around. Shaina on the other hand had grabbed an angel slip so she could wear at night. She looked at the babydolls they had. They had a decent variety in color and style. Shaina pick out the Lacy high-neck slip. She looked at it and compared it to the other one that she had picked out. Shaina looked from one to the other. She liked both but didn't know whether to take them both or just choose one.

"I would take both." Junet said from behind.

"You think so, huh?" Shaina turned to see her friend and smiled at her.

"Oh yes." Marin chimed in.

"Definitely both." Geist said looking at the garment.

"The majority has spoken." Shaina said as she placed both garments in her shopping bag. "So... are we ready to pay?"

"I am." Marin said as she looked inside her bag. "How about you Junet…? Geist?"

"I am." Geist said already heading to pay.

"Oh… uh-huh." Junet answered while she texted on her cell phone.

Once the girls had paid for their garments they all walked out of the store. Junet continued to text on her phone while Shaina, Geist and Marin just looked at each other then at Junet. Junet soon looked up from her phone and noticed the looks she was getting from her friends.

"Sorry, sorry….. Shaka kept texting me. He and Mu should be here any minute now." Junet said as she placed her phone back inside her purse. "You see here they come."

Geist, Marin and Shaina turned to see the two men coming their way. Junet waved at them both, signaling them where they were. Junet quickly ran to her brother and hugged him like if she hadn't seen him in a long time.

"You look pretty good today big bro." Junet said with a smile on her lips. "Seems like someone got a good night's sleep."

"As best as one could sleep." Shaka tried to sound as sincere as possible. He saw the look that Mu gave him and how he looked at his so-called wife. Shaina had turned her head as if looking at the stores around. "Are you done shopping or are you going to shop some more?"

"I think we are done for the time being. It seems that you and Mu went shopping as well." Junet said as she looked inside the bag Shaka was carrying. "Ooh…. nice! Anyways, how about we take these bags back to the hotel and we can continue with my birthday?"

"Sounds like a plan." Mu said.

As they walked back to the hotel, the girls couldn't help but take several pictures as they went along. Shaina, Geist, Marin and Junet had taken several pictures of them making funny faces or in funny poses. There was a picture of Marin and Mu posing as if they were trying to stop Junet from getting into the fountain. While Geist looked like she was encouraging Junet to do so. Several people around had stopped and thought that Junet was really going to jump in. Upon seeing the group's silliness Shaka had even joined in the fun by taking thing a bit far. He carried Junet as close to the fountain as possible making it seem like he was going to actually throw her in. Shaina took several pictures hoping that they would come out alright. There was a point that she couldn't stop laughing as Junet actually looked terrified of being thrown in.

The group continued walking down the mall. They passed several stores and several flower arrangements the mall was adorned with. Midway down their destination Junet noticed a couple with a small child. The little girl couldn't have been more than five or six years. She noticed how the man had picked up the little girl and placed her on up on one of the benches. The little girl smiled as she placed her arms around her father's neck and soon was riding piggy back. It was at that moment that Junet had the brilliant idea of asking her brother for a piggyback ride.

"Shaka, dear brother of mine." Junet said with a huge smile on her lips. "This birthday girl has a special request for her special day today."

"And what special request does the birthday girl have?" Shaka asked as he glanced at his sister.

"I would like a piggy back ride for my birthday." Junet said as she held her brother's arm. Sure, she was too old but it was her birthday and it wasn't on a regular basis that she could be as silly and as spoiled as on her birthday.

"No." was Shaka's simple answer.

"Aww… come on. Pretty please. You are my favorite brother in the whole world" Junet batted her eyelashes while she held him closer.

"Junet you do realize I am your only brother, right?" Shaka looked at his sister with a raised eyebrow.

"I'll love you more today than I did yesterday." Junet batted her eyelashes.

If there was one thing Shaka couldn't tolerate was his sister acting the way she was at that moment. Shaka looked at his sister and knew that somewhere down the line he had given in.

"Anything for the birthday girl." Shaka said while smiling at her.

The group had witnessed the entire interaction between brother and sister and could not help but smile. Once Junet had got what she wanted the group continued to walk down the mall. Marin had made sure to take several pictures. There were moments in life that needed to be captured and that had been one of them.

As the group continued their walk down the mall; Junet had another one of her brilliant ideas. Junet asked her brother to stop and directed herself to the two people she had in mind.

"Mu, would you be so kind as to give Marin a piggy back ride" Junet smiled at Mu, then looked at Marin. "You are up for it, right Marin?"

"Uh….." was all that Mu and Marin said.

"Come on guys. Take it as one of my birthday wishes." Junet said while batting her eye.

Mu and Marin looked at each other and then at the birthday girl. The situation was more than just a little awkward but it was per request of the birthday girl so they both made it work. Geist grabbed the camera from Marin and took several pictures of the girls getting a piggy back ride. As soon as the pictures were taken Marin asked Mu to put her down.

"Alright, Geist now it's your turn." Junet said

"No, Junet I'm okay." Geist said looking from Junet to Mu.

"Oh come on. I'm pretty sure Mu doesn't mind." Junet said then directed herself to Mu. "Right Mu?"

"Uhm…" was all Mu could muster.

"You see Geist, he is totally fine with it." Junet gave her a reassured smile.

Geist gave in to the birthday girl's wish and handed the camera to her sister. Mu and Geist worked it and made it look effortless. As Shaina was about to take the pictures Junet got off from her brother's back.

"Here Shaina give me the camera." Shaina looked at the birthday girl and then at Marin. "I want you to be in the picture as well."

"How…." Shaina wasn't able to finish her sentence as Junet spoke up.

"Shaka, now you give Shaina a piggy back ride." Junet said as she pointed to her brother and then to Shaina. "Marin or I will take the picture."

"No!" to Shaina's surprise Shaka had said it as well.

"Aw come on guys. Please, do it for me." Junet pouted "Remember it's my birthday."

Shaka let out an exasperated breath while Shaina just rolled her eyes as a sign of giving in to the birthday girl's request. It had been one of the most awkward interactions between the two. Shaka held Shaina's legs which made them both uncomfortable. Things might have been different if they didn't know what had happened between them. Might, being the operative word. The way Shaka's hands held her legs, his touch, was something that Shaina couldn't help but enjoy a bit. His scent was so familiar to her she couldn't help but breathe it in. At that moment she stopped herself. There was no way she was going down that road with a man she couldn't stand. Shaka was having a hard time concentrating on what he was doing. Having Shaina that close to him, the feel of her smooth legs in his hands. The way her light scent invaded his nose only made things harder for him. He stopped himself from thinking like that at that very moment. Unbeknown to the group Shaka and Shaina just seemed to look extremely uncomfortable with one another.

"Alright, smile for the camera." Junet said before taking the picture. The four looked at the camera and smiled. Junet made sure to take several pictures of the group as she loved how they looked. "You four came out looking great."

"Can we get off now?" Geist asked as she started to get off.

"Yeah, sure." Junet answered.

As Junet attention was on the pictures Shaina quickly got off. There was no way she would let any more time pass by while being held by her so called husband. Shaina passed by him completely ignoring the fact that Shaka was looking at her. Mu looked at the non-existing interaction between his best friend and Shaina. Out of all the group he was the only one that knew that those two were married. He just wondered how long would it take for the others to figure it out. Junet on the other had looked at the pictures that they had taken and couldn't help but linger on the ones with Mu. She looked at the one with Mu and Marin and the one with him and Geist. She liked how they had come out but for some reason she wished it was her with him on that picture. Junet gave the camera to Marin and walked up to Mu.

"Mu would you mind giving me a piggy back ride?" Junet didn't know why she sounded so shy.

"It being my birthday and all."

"Sure." Mu smiled at his best friend's little sister.

Marin took several pictures of the two as she guessed that was the reason her friend had given her the camera. Junet enjoyed the piggy back ride. It had truly turned out as something she wanted for her birthday. Being close to Mu made it seem right; it felt right. It was at that moment that Junet finally realized that the crush she had on her brother's best friend had never gone away

 

_**((O))** _

 

After walking to the hotel and back to the Shoppe, Shaina and Geist surprised Junet with a birthday lunch. Buddy's Ristorante had been the excellent place to have Junet's birthday lunch followed by a visit to Carlo's Bakery. Junet was a big fan of the show Cake Boss since she saw the first episode. Junet looked at all the pastries on the display case. Junet looked like a kid in a candy store as she saw all the pastries that they had. It was like a dream come true for her. Junet took several pictures of the shop, she had even asked one of the employees if they could take a picture of their group. She needed proof that she had visited the bakery even if it wasn't the original.

As the group walked down the Grand Canal Shoppe it was Mu who took the lead. Mu had picked the next stop for Junet's birthday. He took the group to Madame 'Tussauds interactive wax museum. The girls had spotted their favorite actors and had taken several pictures with the wax figures. Junet took a picture of Shaina and Marin posing with Johnny Depp. Marin pretended to kiss Johnny on the cheek while Shaina was pulling a little at figure's pants with a look of shock in her face while Geist a mischievous smile as she too looked down. Junet soon gave the phone to her brother and asked if he could take a picture of the four of them with the Johnny Depp wax figure.

The group moved on to other wax figures. Shaka and Mu took pictures with several of the marvel superheroes. Mu made an effort to beat the girls on their silly poses. Both men tried to size up to Thor and Captain America. They all came out in several poses with the Hulk and Spiderman. Once in a while one of the girls would stop somebody and ask if they could take a picture of the group.

The girls had walked up to part of the museum where they had set up scenes from the movie the Hangover. Geist and Junet had pretended to be passed out on the white couch. Shaina made sure to take a picture of the two. Mu had come up to her and had offered to take a picture of all four. The girls did their best to look drunk or passed out on that white couch. Junet even took it further by kneeling in front of the toilet while Shaina held her hair. Marin posed with them by rubbing Junet's back and Geist looked frightened by the stuffed tiger inside the bathroom. As the group passed by that section of the museum Shaina couldn't help but stand in front of the made up Vegas chapel. There was something with the set up that caught her attention. It took a minute or two but that's all it took to make all the memories of the past night come flooding down. The night of heavy drinking followed after they attended the Britney Spears show. The drunken conversation that had lead her and Shaka to make the crazy decision to get married. The wedding that had taken place in that Vegas chapel. The events that took place before heading to the hotel and after. The sex. Everything hit her all at once.

"Shaina? Are you okay?" Geist asked as she noticed that her sister had stayed behind.

"Yeah…." Shaina's voice was barely audible.

Geist looked at her sister and began to worry. Her sister had lost all color in her face and for a moment looked ill. "Shaina? What's wrong?"

"I'm fine." It was the tone in Geist voice that had brought Shaina out of her thoughts. She took her eyes off the chapel and looked at her sister. "Do you know where the restroom is?

"Yeah…. We just passed it a bit ago. Do you want me to go with you?" Geist asked with worry in her voice.

"No. It's okay, I'm fine." Shaina said as she smiled at her sister.

Shaina quickly turned on her heel and walked towards the bathroom. Unbeknown to her someone else had just remembered what had happened the previous night as well.

 

**((O))**

 

It had been a day full of excitement and entertainment; it was everything Junet had hoped for. As the night soon was drawing to a close, Junet asked if they could take a gondola ride. An outside gondola ride with the beautiful city lights with the dark night sky was perfect to enjoy the night. The girls sat back and relaxed as the ride began. It didn't take long for Junet to take out her phone and began recording their ride on the gondola. Shaka and Mu ended up staying back while the girls had a moment by themselves. The gondolier began to sing a beautiful melody as he guided the gondola through the canal. Geist finally got tired of Junet and recording every moment of the day and made a grab for Junet's phone.

"Hey give that back." Junet said as she tried to reach over and grab her phone from Geist.

"Nope. No more. I think I speak for all of us when I say that we are done with getting every single moment of this trip recorded. I didn't want to do this but you leave no choice." Geist waved the phone in her hand and then placed it inside her purse.

"I will get my phone back, one way or the other." Junet said as she sat back.

"You'll get it back once the ride ends. We just all need a break." Geist reassured her.

The girls stayed quiet for a while as they enjoyed the ride. It was nice to take a break from taking pictures and running around from one thing to the other. The gondola ride proved to be the perfect break they needed. They had all gone to the Rio hotel and had done the voodoo zip line. Followed by some of the rides on Stratosphere Tower. Later on Shaka had taken his sister, along with the group, to see Cirque du Soleil ONE. It had been an amazing experience for all of them. Now as they rode on the gondola they had time to relax and take it all in.

"Hey! I want to thank you girls for bringing me on this amazing trip. It really means a lot to me." Junet said as she had gotten their attention. "I know it was meant for it to be an all-girls trip but I am happy that you were all okay for my brother and Mu to join in on the celebration."

"It was our pleasure." Marin said.

"I still think Shaka should loosen up a bit. Tell me Junet does he always look like he has a stick up his ass?" Geist said while trying not to laugh.

"What Geist is trying to say is that he really needs to unwind a bit." Marin corrected her friend.

"He's not that bad you guys." Junet tried to defend her brother. "Besides he has a friend like Mu so he can't be that bad. Don't you think so? Shaina?" Junet looked at her friend with hopeful eyes.

"Don't get me in this. Besides I'm with them." Shaina said as she closed her eyes and leaned her head back.

"Oh... Maybe we should take them to that mermaid bar or to a strip club." Geist suggested as she looked at Marin for support.

"No, the last thing I want is to end this night in a strip club." Marin said while she crossed her arms.

"I'm with Marin." Shaina chimed in.

"Fine!" Geist gave in and leaned back.

The gondolier began to sing another song as the girls remained quiet.

"Can you believe we are two years away from turning thirty?" Junet asked to one in particular.

"Argh….. Please, don't remind me." Geist said "I have nightmares thinking that I'm close to the big three-O."

"I'm not, how about you Shaina?" Marin asked.

"I'm not sure but I don't think about it much either."

"It doesn't scare you that we are both heading there in a matter of two years?" Geist asked her twin. "Think about it this way, you'll have Nona riding your butt about how at our age she was already married and with three kids."

"It doesn't bother me." Shaina assured her sister with a smile on her lips. "Besides, Nona bothers you more than she does me."

"Girls a lot could happen in two years." Marin said getting the twins attention.

"Yeah! One or two of us could be married or all four of us. Better yet one of us could be married and with kids." Junet said "Who knows maybe one of us could just have a kid."

"Or maybe we'll all be single and still trying to find Mr. Right." Marin added.

"Mr. Right? I'd prefer Mr. Right Now rather than Mr. Right." Geist smiled at the girls.

"Yeah, yeah... Marin is right, a lot could happen in two years." Junet said as she looked at her friends. "Whether we are married, with kids or without. Let's just be together."

"Where do you think we'll go?" Geist asked.

"We are all stuck with each other to the very end." Marin reassured Junet.

"Yeah..." Shaina agreed in a low voice while she gave her friend a reassuring smile.

The gondola ride had come to a stop. One by one the girls got out of the gondola and made their way to where Mu and Shaka stood waiting for them. The group walked across the bridge and further into the city lights. Junet noticed a place she wanted to visit before they would head back to the hotel and call it a night. She stopped and turned to directed herself to the group.

"I have one last request before the night ends." She told the group.

"Which is?" Marin asked

Junet's gave them mischievous smile and looked at a certain someone in the group.

"Well I think that my brother should loosen a bit more than he did last night." She grabbed her brother's hand and pulled him towards her. "Don't get me wrong. Seeing you drink that much last night would have surprised Buddha himself. I think you should surprise the group and show them how good of a dancer you are."

Shaka looked at his sister like if she had gone mad. Mu tried to hold a laugh while the rest of the girls just looked at the two siblings.

"Junet I'm not going to dance. Why don't you and the girls go without us?" Shaka said as he tried to give his sister a stern look.

"I wouldn't mind going dancing with the girls." Mu laughed as Shaka gave him a look for support.

"Oh come on brother of mine. You know it's still my birthday and it would mean so much to me." Junet stopped pulling on her brother's hand and gave him a sulky pout.

Shaka looked at his sister and sighed. He looked at the group and they were waiting for him to give in.

"Fine, I give in. Let's go dance." Shaka said giving in to his sister. "But I won't dance."

"Yes, you will." Junet said while she still had a hold of his hand. She turned on her heel and began walking towards their destination. "Senor Frog here we come."

The rest of the group looked at each other and then at Junet, who was pulling Shaka along. They soon followed along. It was their last night in Vegas and Junet really wanted to make it count.

 

* * *

 

 

_**April 18th Morning** _

 

Shaina woke up to the sound of her phone going off. Shaina tried to ignore it but the alarm she had set continued to go on. Blindly she reached over the nightstand until she was able to get a hold of her phone. It took two tries but she was able to shut off the loud alarm. She placed her phone back on the night stand and proceeded to rub the sleep off her eyes. It was seven in the morning and her flight would be leaving in three hours.

' _I have time for a quick shower. I need a shower.'_ Shaina told herself as her body didn't seem to process what she was telling herself.

Shaina pulled the sheets off her body. _Her naked body._ She lifted her head up and looked down to confirm that she was naked and not just a thought in her head. Her head flopped back onto the pillow as she covered her eyes. She felt a familiar weight on her hand. Shaina opened her eyes and saw that her wedding ring had reappeared on her wedding finger. She let out a breath and couldn't help but turn her head to the other side of the bed. There on the other side of the bed, in all his naked glory, was her so called husband.

' _How in the world did I end back in bed with this man?'_ she thought to herself. _'Can he actually be the only man in Vegas I could actually sleep with?'_

Shaina lifted herself off of bed and made her way into the bathroom. She couldn't remember any event of the previous night and she wasn't going to start trying to. She took one more look towards the bed where her _husband_ was lying, naked. Shaina cursed herself mentally. There was no way she would allow her mind to be filled with those types of thoughts. Shaina grabbed her toiletry bag on her way to the bathroom and closed the door behind her.

Shaka opened his eyes to the sound of a door closing. He felt the bed move and that had been enough to wake him up. There was no point in trying to guess who he had shared a bed with. Shaka remembered he'd sobered up somewhere along the night—particularly the part where they were both in the throes of passion. He wasn't completely sure if she had sobered up during their time together but there was always the possibility. The time was soon coming for them to talk about what would happen after they would leave their separate ways. It was at that moment that Shaka decided to get out of bed and put some clothes on.

There was a light knock on the suite door that caught Shaka's attention. As he entered the small living area he noticed that the same hotel employee from the previous morning had entered the room. The young man had busied himself by setting up the table and he hadn't noticed that the guest were awake. As the employee turned to the cart to grab one of the pitchers he noticed Shaka standing in the middle of the living area.

"Good morning Mr. Mahajan. I'll just finish setting things up for you and your wife and I'll be on my way."

"Did we order this last night?" Shaka asked.

"Yes, sir. Here is the order from last night, along with the time stamp. Would you care to take a look at it?" The young man offered the paper to Shaka.

Shaka took the paper went over the order list. It was almost the same thing that they had ordered before. The order had been placed at eleven and it didn't specify who had placed it. Which only made him think that it had been the two of them. Shaka returned the slip to the young man and made his way back into the room. It didn't take long for him to come back into the living room.

"Is there anything else, Mr. Mahajan?" the employee asked before heading out of the room.

"No, that will be all." Shaka said as he handed the employee a couple of bills and thanked him.

As he closed the door of the suite behind him, Shaka preceded to get his tea ready. He heard the bathroom door open and knew that Shaina would notice he was longer in bed. As he finished preparing the tea he decided to head down to the bedroom. He had to let his _'wife'_ know that breakfast had arrived. Shaka stood by the door and looked at what Shaina was doing. He noticed she was busy gathering her things. She was already dressed up for the day; her hair was loose. There was a certain beauty to the woman in front of him. At that moment his mind decided to bring up the memories of the previous night. The way she had reacted to his kiss. The sound of her moans as he made love to her. Shaka suddenly stopped himself. There was no way they had made love. Had sex, yes, but never had they made love. It was at that moment that he decided to clear his throat. He had to clear his mind of all thoughts from the previous night.

Shaina heard Shaka clear his throat. She looked up at him only to find him looking at her. Without any word she continued getting her things ready. Her mind was set on getting out of that room, taking her flight and putting all this nonsense behind her. She wasn't completely sure how she had ended up sleeping with him again. Her plan had been to crash in her sister's suite; at least that had been her plan. As she would occasionally glance his way she had noticed that he was only wearing his pants. If there was a chance of her slapping herself without looking crazy she would. There was no explanation why at that moment she was finding him attractive, again. She had already had that on her mind when she had seen him asleep earlier. He had been naked, with half an erection on. That had been enough for her to have a go at him. Shaina stopped herself. There was no way she would let her mind go down that road. She finished zipping her suitcase close and set it down on the floor.

"Good morning." Shaina said finally acknowledging his presence.

"Good morning. Join me in the dining table, won't you?" Shaka was polite, but insistent. He soon turned on his heel and made his way towards the small dining table.

Shaina stood there for a few seconds just looking at the spot where Shaka had stood. She needed to get her thoughts in order in the short amount of time it would take her to reach the dining area. Shaina grabbed her suitcase and carryon bag and headed towards the dining area. There was only one solution for their situation and Shaina would make sure things would go her way.

Shaka had already pulled out a chair for her as he now waited sitting in his. He saw her place her belongings in the small living room area. He noticed that she made her way towards him and took the seat he had pulled out for her. Shaina sat. Shaka took that moment to serve her some coffee. Shaina prepared her coffee the way she loved it. Once she was finished she took a long sip of that dark brew, her green eyes never leaving his face.

"Shaina, we've got a great deal to talk about," Shaka said. He placed his fork back on the side of his plate. "We need to decide what to do about the situation we are in. I have to tell you that despite the fact that we acted rashly, I consider marriage a sacred vow."

Shaina had to catch herself from choking on her coffee. She placed the cup back on the saucer and dabbed her lips with the napkin. There was no way she could remain married, not even for the ideals he had. The man in front of her was talking crazy. She tried to remember if Junet shared her brother's ideals or if she had ever mentioned them. Her brain couldn't come up with nothing at that moment.

"Shaka. I…I don't want to be married. I can't be Mrs. Mahajan. I'm pretty sure you don't want me to be either. We both have to catch a plane back home and get back to our lives." Shaina said as she looked at him. "We have to get this marriage thing annulled. In this case, what happened in Vegas is definitely going to stay in Vegas."

Shaka noticed that the woman in front of him had gone into full business mode. Shaina wasn't going to let him take the lead on this conversation. She wasn't going to give in or let him have any say in the matter. He had to admit the woman had made a valid point. He would have never thought of marrying her. Yet, here they were.

"I don't have enough time to take care of that with you. I'm going to trust you to do the right thing." with that said Shaina stood up from her seat and placed the napkin back on the table.

"I'll do what's best for our interest." Shaka said as he noticed the woman turn on her heel.

Shaina walked out of the room closing the main door behind her. She breathed a sigh of relief as she walked down the corridor. Things could have gone much worse, especially with how he felt about marriage. She made a quick mental note to ask her best friend later on her stance on marriage. Shaina headed down to the hotel lobby and Shaka stayed back in the honeymoon suite. The future hung clouded and uncertain before them. All they could hope for was that no one else would find out what had happened in Vegas.


	2. Chapter 2

" _Make up your mind to have no regrets_

_Recline yourself, resign yourself, you're through…_ _  
_…You're no exception to the rule,__

_I'm irresistible, you fool, give in!"_ _  
_-__ _Whatever Lola Wants (Sarah Vaughan)_

**Chapter 2**

 

 

**_ Evening of May 3rd (2 weeks later…..) _ **

 

Shaina entered her apartment slowly closing the door behind her. She leaned her back against the door and breathed in. Her keys hitting the small crystal bowl sounded loudly as she had tossed them unceremoniously. Once she made sure the lock on her door was on, she pulled her small luggage across the floor and into her room. This was the second time she had to travel because of work since she had got back from Las Vegas. Work had taken all of her attention and left very little for her social life. There had been the trip to Milan, which had turned out to be a crazy ordeal. She had barely touched down in the city when the following day there was another trip in the works with another provider. She had left days later to London where she spent most of her days from the building where the provider was, to her hotel. It was sad really, there had been no chance for her to sight see or even visit her Nonna when she had been in Milan. True, it would have been completely out of her way but she would have made it work. Shaina set her rolling suitcase and her carry-on bag by the side of her bed. She sat on her bed and removed her shoes. She laid back in bed and just looked up at the ceiling. It was always good to be back home. She loved to travel; she just liked to do it more for pleasure than for business. She took a deep breath and enjoyed the silence that her 'two bedroom' apartment provided. It took her fifteen minutes to decompress but that was fifteen minutes well spent.

 

After dragging her tired self to the bathroom and taking a long shower, Shaina decided to finally turn on her cell phone and get back to reality. She had long ago got rid of her home phone due to the many, many telemarketing calls. As her cell phone went on she heard her phone chime several times. There were several missed calls, several text messages and emails that were in much need of attention. Shaina walked up to what would be considered a 'second bedroom' of her apartment and went straight to her small desk. Luckily she had forgotten to shut down her laptop and it had gone into standby. Shaina quickly went into her email and began to answer every single one of the emails that required her immediate attention. As Shaina checked an email that she had received from her favorite book store, she looked at her text messages. She had a group message from the girls letting her know that they would meet for lunch the following day. Shaina replied right away and moved on to her missed calls. They were mostly from her friends and family. There was really no need to call back since they would most likely call her back.

 

As Shaina continued to look at the personal emails she received from her favorite stores. There was a brief moment when she contemplated that there was something important that she had forgotten. It was that strange feeling that nags at you and it drives you crazy that you can't remember. She knew it would come to her one way or the other but for the meantime she would order some Chinese food and binge watch on a series that TIVO had recorded several weeks ago.

 

Forty minutes later Shaina was sitting on her sofa binge watching a show about zombies. She had chopsticks in one hand and a small take out box filled with beef and broccoli in the other. It wasn't the healthiest of meals but she needed some comfort food. Her phone had continued going off as she had been texting with her brother. Her phone began to ring and she paused the show she was watching. She looked at her phone, but didn't recognize the number. Without thinking much about it she answered.

 

"Hello." Shaina greeted in her usual monotone voice.

 

"Hello, am I speaking to Shaina Rinaldi?" the person on the other side asked.

 

"Yes, this is she." Shaina answered, regretting the fact that she had answered her phone.

 

"This is Shaka Mahajan... Your husband." Shaka said.

 

Shaina was shocked at hearing the voice over the other line. She felt her stomach flop at the two words he had uttered - it made her sick to her stomach. Several questions came into mind; the main one being, how did he get her number. Shaina cleared her throat as he asked if she was still on the line.

 

"Yes, I'm still here. To what do I owe the honor of your call?" Shaina said placing her food back on the coffee table.

 

"I need to meet with you in regards to the annulment. When can you meet me?" Shaka asked.

 

"It will have to be one of these upcoming days and it would have to be after I get off from work." Shaina wasn't going to make things easy in any way, shape or form for him. She had no interest in seeing him.

 

"The day after tomorrow at seven o'clock. At your discretion, we will meet at Mu's house." Shaka said taking the same directness she had. "I'm sending you the address as we speak."

 

It only took a couple of seconds when she heard her phone chime. Shaina looked at her screen and saw that text message she had received. Shaina ran the address by Shaka to make sure it was correct, but as she did her other line was beeping. Shaina quickly looked at her screen and saw that it was the other Mahajan in her life. The one that she was happy to have as a friend. She quickly swiped her screen refusing the call. Shaka and Shaina continued their small conversation; it ended with a simple farewell. They weren't the type that would talk about anything else. For a split second Shaina thought that she should be on more friendly terms with Shaka.

 

_'Maybe I should be more cordial towards him?'_ She thought to herself.

 

No, that wasn't going to happen anytime soon. She was fine with having only one Mahajan as a friend. After clearing her mind of all thought, she placed her phone down on the sofa. She pressed play on her remote and grabbed her dinner from the coffee table.

 

**_((O))_ **

 

Junet continued her online shopping as she sat in bed with the TV on as background noise. She checked her cell phone as she had felt it vibrate. Shaina had finally answered their group text message. It had been weeks since she had seen her last. Not thinking about it twice Junet swiped right on the screen of her phone. It took only a matter of seconds for the call to go through, but then it went straight to her friends voicemail. Junet hung up and waited a couple of minutes before trying once more. Just like the previous time the call didn't take long to go through. This time the person on the other line didn't take long to answer did answer.

 

"Well it's about time you got back. I hope you know who this is?" Junet said with a tone of amusement.

 

"Ha ha….. Very funny." Shaina said. "You missed me that much, huh?"

 

"I wouldn't say that much, but yes, you have been missed. You know at least when Geist leaves out of town she calls. You on the other hand seem to drop off the face of the earth."

 

"My, aren't we being melodramatic today." Junet laughter was loud as Shaina had to move the phone away from her ear.

 

"I called you a little bit a go, but it went to voicemail."

 

"Oh, I was on the phone with someone from work." Shaina didn't like lying to her friend but it was rather that than explaining why Junet's brother was calling her. "So…. What's been going on?"

 

"Nothing much really. It's nothing that won't be discussed tomorrow at lunch." Junet said while she turned the volume down on her TV.

 

"Junet…. What's going on? You usually call me with a purpose."

 

"Well…" Junet said sound like a little girl. "I needed to ask you something."

 

"Ask away." Shaina said being as patient as she could be.

 

"Did something happen between you and Mu in Vegas?" Junet blurted out.

 

"No. Why?" On the other side Shaina had to stop doing what she was doing. She was in the process of taking her food back to the kitchen.

 

"Marin bumped into him a few days ago and he asked her for your number. Please, don't tell me you both slept together in Vegas."

 

"Junet, I already told you nothing happened in Vegas between Mu and I. He just probably wants to keep in touch. We all had fun that weekend….. Well, there are its exceptions but the majority of the group had fun."

 

"Shaina, be nice, that is my brother you are referring to."

 

"I didn't say anything about your brother and the stick in the mud he usually is."

 

"I know… I know. Aside from that we all enjoyed ourselves." Junet said trying to move the conversation away from her brother. "So why do you think Mu wanted your number?"

 

"I don't know. It could be he just wants to keep in touch or something." Shaina said knowing very well why Mu had asked Marin for her number,. "or maybe it's business related."

 

"Yeah... Maybe." Junet said finally setting her tablet on the coffee table. "Shaina… I think I might still have feelings for him."

 

"I figured as much. Are you planning on doing anything about it?" Shaina asked, not really being surprised by her friend's admission.

 

"I don't know. I needed to ask you before if anything had happened. I didn't want to think about anything before I talked to you." Junet still sounded unsure about the subject. "I have a lot to think about."

 

"Well…. Just make sure that whatever you decide it will be for the best."

 

"I will and thanks for clearing that up for me." Junet said sounding a little more cheerful.

"See you tomorrow for lunch."

 

"I'll see you tomorrow." And with that being said Junet tapped on the red button to hang up.

 

As Junet looked up at her TV screen she thought of the first time she met Mu. She thought about how she had slowly become a cliché. Junet was only a sophomore in high school when Shaka had first brought a friend home from college. Back then she had thought of Mu as the love of her life. Sadly, the love of her life had met the love of his life a year later. She remembered how she cried in her Dadi's arms. Life went on and the more Mu's relationship evolved with the love of his life, the more Junet buried her feelings towards that man. Somehow Vegas had changed all that. The moment that she had admitted it to Shaina, was the moment she had fully admitted it to herself.

 

 

 

**_ May 4th around 1pm _ **

__

Geist entered the busy cafe while putting her phone back in her purse. She never liked to be late, yet here she was late for lunch with the girls. She quickly spotted the group in one of the corner tables. Junet had already spotted her and was waving for her to come over.

 

"Well, you finally made it! I was beginning to think that you might not show up." Junet said as she greeted her friend.

 

"Busy day at the office?" Shaina asked.

 

"Ha, ha, very funny. I was actually busy with one of the brides. Tell me, how is it that a quiet simple girl ends up turning into a bridezilla overnight?" Geist questioned as she took her seat.

 

"Why don't you let Misty take over? I'm sure he could easily tame the beast." Shaina suggested.

"He actually met her and he just didn't like her. He was right though, he warned me that that girl was going to be a pain in my butt." Geist said as she grabbed the menu and looked it over. "What are you getting for lunch?"

 

"I'm getting the Caesar salad." Shaina said.

 

"Grilled or fried chicken?" Geist ask as she continued to look at the menu.

 

"Grilled..." Shaina said as she placed her menu on the side of the table.

 

"Why are you getting salad?"

 

"Because that is what I want to eat for lunch. What's with you today?" Shaina asked eying her sister with curiosity.

 

"Oh nothing, just felt like bugging you. It seems like I haven't done so in a while." Geist said with a smile on her face. "So what have we been up to?"

 

"Girls, I still have feelings for Mu." Junet as she placed her menu on the table.

 

"Well that's obvious." Geist said

 

"Called it." Marin added.

 

"Sweetheart you made it quite obvious in Vegas." Geist said as she saw the expression on Junet's face. "That whole ordeal with the piggyback ride at the Shoppe."

 

"Don't forget that night at Senor Frog." Marin added once more.

 

"Nothing happened at Senor Frog." Junet's voice came out a little too high pitched.

 

"Oh honey, please, we all saw it." Geist said as she placed her menu on the table.

 

"I'm surprised Shaka wasn't able to see it." Marin said looking up from her menu for a second. "You practically groped Mu in front of him."

 

"Stop it! I did no such thing." Junet blushed.

 

The waitress approached their table and took their order. Geist was always the last one to order. She never actually decided what to order while she was looking at the menu. She had the habit of waiting till everyone ordered and then made up her mind. As each one of them gave the waitress their order Geist paid close attention to each and every one. When it finally came down to her turn she simply went with Junet's order, a BLT with fries and a side of avocado sliced.

 

"What's with the salads lately, Shaina?" Marin asked. "The last time you and I went to lunch you ordered a salad. Are you doing a new diet?"

 

"Please, don't tell me you are on a diet, again." Geist said as she took the glass of water in her hand. "You always go overboard when it comes to diets. Besides, you already look like you've lost some weight since I last saw you."

 

"No, I'm not doing any type of diet. I just haven't been feeling very hungry lately." Shaina said while looking at her friends. "Scratch that. There are times when I feel really, really hungry but I never know what to eat and then when I finally get something it doesn't appetize me anymore."

 

"Maybe it's all the traveling you've been doing." Marin said looking a bit concerned.

 

"Yeah... maybe." Shaina said after taking a drink from her glass of water. "The good thing is my next trip will be in the states."

 

"Where are they sending you?" Geist asked.

 

"Let's see." Shaina said as she took out her phone from her purse and began going through her last email. "If all goes as planned in tomorrow's meeting they will be sending me out to Florida."

"Ooh... Nice." Junet said as the waitress approached the table with their food.

 

The waitresses placed each plate of food accordingly. There was light conversation while the waitress refreshed everyone's glass. Geist grabbed her purse and pulled out a book. She placed it casually on the table.

 

"What's this?" Junet asked as she eyed the book.

 

"Take a look at it." It was all Geist said.

 

Junet took the book and began to look through it. Marin, who was sitting next to her, got even closer to her and began to look at it. There were pictures of the girls on the rides and the zip line. There were pictures of them getting a piggy back ride and pictures of them riding the gondola. At the end of the book there was a photograph of all four of them. Junet and Marin looked up at their friend and smiled.

 

"Geist, this is amazing. How did you have the time to get this done?" Junet asked.

 

"I have to admit it was a little hard to get the right pictures. Some were blurry and others... Well let's just say they aren't for everyone to see." Geist finished saying as she gained a laugh from the rest.

 

"Is there any pictures of Junet groping Mu?" Shaina asked.

 

"I haven't seen any yet." Marin said as she was looking the book over.

 

"Stop it!" Junet said a little too loud, which gained several looks from the people that were seated around their table.

 

"We all know you did. Besides, what is so bad about you groping him? He didn't seem to mind." Geist said as a matter of fact.

 

"The guy was half drunk." Shaina said taking a fork full of lettuce.

 

"Let's see." Marin said as she grabbed the book and looked at the pictures from when they went out drinking. She spotted a couple of scenes taking place in the background. "Ha! I found one."

 

"Where?" The twins asked in unison.

 

"Here." Marin said as she placed the book in the middle and pointed at the picture.

 

Geist and Shaina beat Junet for the book. The girls looked at the picture and smiled once they had found what Marin was talking about. Both women smiled at one another and then smiled at Junet.

 

"What?" Junet said as Geist gave her the book. Junet looked at the picture and a small blush appeared on her face. "You can hardly see anything."

 

"Good enough to make you blush." Shaina said with a smile.

 

"You can't really tell what I was doing." Junet defended herself.

 

"Okay, maybe not exactly but the best part is that he knows... And we know." Marin told her friend.

 

"What about you Shaina?" Junet asked while trying to direct the attention towards someone else.

 

"What about me?" Shaina asked a bit surprised.

 

"You were kissing some guy while we were at Senor Frog." Junet said. "I think I even saw it in one of these pictures."

 

For a moment Shaina felt panic. She couldn't remember if anyone had seen her and Shaka walk out of Senor Frog. They had been drunk, they had been dancing and they had been making out like teenagers. If memory served her well, they had snuck to the restroom for a quickie before they had decided to go back to the hotel. They hadn't been in their right minds and hadn't cared if anyone had seen them.

 

"Here!" Junet said as she pointed to the picture where she had seen them.

Geist beat Marin to the book and quickly looked it over. It was a picture of herself and Marin dancing while in the background there was Shaina smiling at some guy. Geist couldn't make out who the man was since there were others in the picture. She could make out the color of the man's hair and part of his shirt but nothing more. The man had his sister by the waist while he kissed her sister's neck.

 

"Hey, that's right." Geist said as she showed the book to Shaina.

 

"Hmm..." It was all Shaina said as she looked at the picture. She was thankful that they couldn't see much of Shaka to recognize who he was. She gave an indifferent look to the girls. "I must've been drunk."

 

"Oh that is more than obvious." Geist said with a laugh. "I can't believe I didn't notice that while we were dancing."

 

"That's because we were all drunk by then." Marin added with a smile on her face.

 

"Whether or not I made out with some guy on the dance floor, it can't compare to groping my brother's best friend." Shaina said redirecting the attention back to Junet. "Imagine if one of us did that to one of Mani's friends..."

 

"We would never hear the end of it." Geist completed her sister's sentence.

 

"Okay, enough with me groping Mu. I see him at work several times since then and he hasn't said anything." Junet said as she closed the book.

 

"I don't think Mu is the type that would bring it up." Marin said.

 

"I'm with Marin on this one." Shaina said.

 

"Me too." Geist added as her phone started to ring. She picked it from the table and noticed who was calling her. "Sorry girls I got to take this."

 

The girls looked at Geist as she answered her phone. Shaina got a little closer and tried to listen in on her sister's conversation. Shaina listened in and smiled. Marin and Junet asked Shaina who it was that Geist was talking to. Shaina simply mouthed the words 'it's a guy' and continued to try to listen in. Geist noticed what the girls were doing and tried to move away from Shaina. Shaina pulled on her sister's arm trying to keep her in place. Geist finished her call and placed her phone back on the table.

 

"So... who were you talking to?" Junet asked with smile on her face.

 

"It was just work. You know... it was Misty." Geist said trying to brush off the knowing smiling faces.

 

"That's weird; I didn't know Misty's voice sounded so different over the phone." Shaina said jokingly. "Just tells us who it was."

 

"Fine! I've been going out with this guy." Geist said as the girls looked at her. "It's nothing serious. Is anyone seeing anyone special, non-special?"

 

"No!" Marin said as she pushed her plate away. "Remind me to never accept a blind date from one of my coworkers."

 

"It was that bad, huh." Shaina said.

 

"Bad would be putting it lightly. The man kissed me all around my mouth, all except my lips." Marin said making a face of pure disgust.

 

"Eww..." The girls said in unison.

 

"I have no idea who told him that women liked to be kissed that way." Marin scrunched her nose in disgust as she remembered. "Anyways, How about you Junet?"

 

"Sadly, no." Junet said as the waitress took her plate. "There have been several candidates but nothing good so far. The closest to an orgasm I had is with my vibrator. I think if I continue like this I will suffer from carpal tunnel."

 

"Shaina?" Geist asked as her sister brought the glass to her lips stalling for just a moment.

"No, no one." Shaina said placing her glass on the table. "I'm so busy with work that even my vibrator is just there collecting dust."

 

Geist placed close attention to her sister's expression and didn't press any further. She made a mental note of asking her what was going on later in the day. This was the second time she noticed her sister stall during their conversation.

 

"Al right, girls I have to go back to work." Junet said as she took the book with her. "Thanks for the book Geist."

 

"My pleasure sweetie." Geist looked into her purse and pulled out the other two books that she had.

 

"Shaina, Marin, I made one for each one of us."

 

"Aww…. Thank you." Marin said as she took the book once she stood up. "I'll call you girls later."

 

Shaina, Geist, Marin and Junet said their goodbyes. Shaina was about to make her way towards the entrance when Geist held her arm back. Shaina turned and looked at her sister with a questionable look. Geist waited till she could no longer see Junet and Marin.

 

"What's going on?" Geist asked her sister in Italian just in case anyone they knew would bump into them.

 

"Nothing, nothing at all." Shaina responded in the same language.

 

"Shaina!" Geist insisted. She looked at the expression on her sister's face and sighed. "I'll stop by your apartment later on tonight."

 

"Why is it that you have to make something out of nothing?" Shaina asked.

 

"I have a feeling it's not nothing and I saw you when Junet mentioned the picture. I'll see you later."

 

"You're stubborn." Shaina as they now stood outside the cafe.

 

"Just like you." Geist said with a smile. She soon turned on her heel and waved goodbye.

 

Shaina watched as her sister walked down the block. There was no way of knowing what her sister would ask or say. All she knew was that Geist would be in her apartment later on that day.

 

****

****

**_ May 4th late afternoon _ **

Geist walked into the bridal boutique along with the soon to be August bride. The woman had been putting off finding a wedding dress for so long that the wedding was only three months away. She was the type of bride that Geist would categorize as the 'Psycho Bride'. The 'Psycho Bride' was the bride that had lost touch of reality; case in point the woman that was now looking at wedding dresses. This woman had put off searching for the perfect dress by telling Geist that she wasn't done losing the weight she wanted. That had been back in December, and in January, and in February, and in March. By April Geist had started setting up appointments for her which in turn the woman would call her back and cancel. The bride-to-be hadn't even lost the fifteen pounds she had said she would back in December. After several canceled appointments Geist had finally been able to make her way down to the bridal boutique.

The mother of the bride and sisters had decided to join the bride in picking of the dress. All three members of the family sat on the chairs placed close to the floor to ceiling mirrors. The bride had already picked five dresses off the first rack and was busy trying on the first one. The first dress had too much volume in the skirt and it made her hips look too big. The second dress made her show too much cleavage and she couldn't bare people seeing her in such a dress. The third dress was way too simple for her taste. The fourth dress made her shoulders look huge and it didn't help much that hers were too small. The fifth dress didn't even make it all the way to the mirror, as the bride had turned on her heel and left back to the dressing room. The sales associate took in five more dresses into the fitting room and helped the woman put the first one on.

 

Geist looked at her watch and saw that they had been there close to an hour. She knew it would be one of those never ending days. One of the bride's sisters had already wandered off into the bridesmaid section. The mother of the bride was now busy talking on her phone and the sister of the bride was busy playing candy crush on her phone. There was a worse type of bride than the 'Psycho Bride" and that was the 'Indecisive Bride'. Geist didn't know how long it would take for the bride to find her perfect dress, but she was sure it wouldn't be in the next hour. Geist took out her cell phone and texted her sister. She quickly apologized and told her that she wouldn't be able to see her tonight. Shaina hadn't taken long in answering and had suggested that they should meet later on that week. With a smile on her face Geist replied and placed her phone back inside her purse. As she looked up, the bride had just come out of the dressing room, only to walk back in. The bride told the salesperson that she couldn't see herself walking down the aisle with that kind of dress.

 

Two hours later the bride had finally picked out her dress and the dress of her bridesmaids. The bride's maid-of-honor and other bridesmaid had arrived just in time to pick out their dress. Geist had a feeling that the other two women that joined them knew how their friend would be throughout the whole ordeal. She couldn't blame them, even the mother of the bride had eyed the front of the store several times. Geist was pretty sure the woman was figuring out a way to leave without being missed. Geist couldn't help but smile as she walked out of the bridal boutique. She had finally finished this part of the planning and she could check it off her list. Geist hailed a cab and was soon on her way to her apartment. As she enjoyed the quiet cab ride her work phone began to ring. She couldn't help but sigh in frustration as she saw who was calling.

 

"Hi Esmeralda, what can I do for you this evening?" Geist said trying to sound as pleasant as possible.

 

"My maid-of-honor, Eri, we had a huge fight." Esmeralda said between sniffles. "I don't think she would want to be my maid-of-honor anymore, not after this fight."

 

"Gosh, I'm so sorry to hear that you got in a fight with your maid-of-honor." Geist took a deep breath in before continuing. "But you know what? Your wedding isn't till a year from now, so I'm pretty sure that you both will make up by then."

 

"Well, what if we don't? Does this mean I would need to get a backup?" Esmeralda sniffled as she asked.

 

"No, no…. I don't think you will need a backup. Just take a deep breath and leave it alone for tonight. Give yourselves some space and you will see how everything will be back as it once was." Geist said as she noticed her stop coming up. "I'll talk to you later, Esmeralda. Goodnight."

 

Once she was in the comfort of her own space that was her apartment; Geist headed to her kitchen and poured herself a glass of wine. As she took a drink she felt like the stress of her long day melt away. Once she had drunk half of the liquid in her glass, Geist looked inside her purse and took out her phones. She placed her work phone on the charger and her personal one she took with her. After a moment of thinking whether or not to call it a night, Geist decided to text the guy she had been seeing. She asked him if he wanted to come over. It only took a couple of seconds to receive a text saying that he would be there in twenty minutes. Geist smiled to herself and headed into her room. She needed to freshen up before her date would arrive.

 

****

****

**_ May 5th late afternoon _ **

 

Mu opened the door a few seconds after the person on the other side stopped knocking. He greeted the woman with a smile on his face and welcomed her to come in.

 

"Hello Shaina, it's been a while." Mu said as he greeted her with a kiss on the cheek. He waited for her to pass the threshold and closed the door behind her.

 

"It's nice to see you as well. I just wished it was under better circumstances." Shaina said with a small smile on her lips. She held her purse with both hands, tightening her hold.

 

Mu led her to the living where Shaka stood waiting for his wife to arrive. Shaina and Shaka's eyes met as soon as she had entered the living room. They hadn't seen or spoken to one another since Vegas and now stood across from each other. It was an awkward and uncomfortable feeling between the two.

 

"Well, I'll leave you to it." Mu said breaking the awkward silence. "I'll see you both later."

 

At that moment Kiki came into the room and smiled brightly at the guest. The little boy looked at the woman that stood a couple of feet away. He had never seen the woman before, but smiled at her. Mu noticed Kiki's reaction and got behind his son.

 

"Shaina this is Kiki, my son." Mu said as he placed his hands on his son's shoulders. "Kiki, this is Shaina, she is Shaka's friend."

 

"Hi Kiki, it's nice to meet you." Shaina said as she smiled.

 

Kiki looked at Shaina, who stood in front of him and smiled. He took a couple of steps towards her and hugged her. Shaina placed a hand on the little boys head and looked up at Mu. Both men looked at the little boy and didn't know what to make of it. Kiki was usually shy around new people. The little boy loosened his hold on her and looked up at the woman. He smiled at her brightly and hugged her once more.

 

"All right Kiki it's time for us to go out for a bit. Let's leave Shaka and Shaina to talk, we'll be back soon." Mu said gaining the attention of the little boy.

 

The little boy looked up at his father and then at the woman he was hugging. Kiki let go and walked up to his father. He took his dad's hand and let him know he was ready.

 

"Bye!" Kiki said as he waved at Shaka and Shaina.

 

Mu and Kiki made their way down the hall towards the front door leaving Shaka and Shaina behind. The sound of the door closing told them that they were finally alone. They stood in complete awkward silence. Shaina couldn't help but give him a once look over. He was wearing a Hugo Boss/Genius trim fit navy blue suit. He had paired it well with the shirt and tie and not to mention the shoes. It fit him very well - the color sure complemented his eyes. Shaina stopped herself from going too far. She had an eye for men's fashion; it was her job.

"So, you needed to talk to me. I'm assuming that it's to sign papers or something like that." Shaina said as she took a seat on one of the living room chairs.

 

"Not exactly. I had told you before that I see marriage as a sacred vow." Shaka explained. "I was hoping you could see things my way on this."

 

"We can't stay married. I don't want to be married at this time in my life." Shaina tried to keep herself calm. "We don't even know each other that well. All you know is that I'm your sister's friend and all I know is that you're her brother."

 

"Many people get married without knowing each other, without even meeting each other." Shaka said as he unbuttoned his suit jacket and sat on the chair across from her.

 

"I'm not one of those 'many' people; if the time comes that I would want to get married it would be with someone I know. I don't think I can be married to you; we have nothing in common other than Junet. You are definitely not my type and I don't see you as the type of person I would marry. No offense." Shaina said as she stood up from her seat and filled one of the glasses with water, which had been set on the coffee table. She drank half a glass and set the glass back on the table.

 

"I always told myself that if I got married it would be for better or for worse." Shaka noticed how she was now standing close to him and looking at him with anger. "This could be counted as a worse but it's something that could become better with time."

 

"It also says till death do us part. I'm pretty sure I could make that happen in time." Shaina bit back.

 

"I'm being serious." Shaka said in his usual calm tone, but he was getting a bit upset himself.

 

"So am I." Shaina replied as she took a step back. "Our marriage was founded on tequila shots and several glasses of champagne. Is that how a marriage is supposed to start off? Us slurring our vows to one another and our first kiss as a married couple to be a make out session in front of strangers and the justice of the peace. Who by the way was dressed as Elvis"

 

"You remember what happened that weekend?" Shaka asked as he got up from his chair. The idea of Shaina being the one looking down while they spoke, wasn't sitting too well with him. "Or did you see the wedding video?"

 

"Both," was all Shaina could say to the man that now stood in front of her. She took two steps back to distance herself from him. His scent was something that she remembered so well. It brought back memories that she wished would have never resurfaced. "It wasn't the finest moment in my life, but I'm guessing it wasn't yours either."

 

Shaka had to admit that Shaina was bringing up a lot of valid points. Yet, it wasn't enough to change his way of thinking. It didn't matter that their wedding day had been in complete intoxication, what mattered was that he had said those vows. He felt the same way that she did, but he had already made up his mind.

 

"I don't think you want to be stuck with someone you would never want to share your life with." Shaina said bringing Shaka out of his train of thought. "I told you this back in Vegas."

"Yet, we ended up in bed once again the same day you said those words. Why do you think that is?" Shaka asked taking a step forward.

 

"Tequila, and lots, and lots of champagne." Shaina said a bit definitely. "We aren't the type to stay stuck with someone that we would never share our life with. We shared two nights together after drinking many ounces of alcohol."

 

Shaka noticed how Shaina took a couple of steps back, placing enough distance between them. It didn't seem that she feared him or hated him. It was more of a defense mechanism to keep herself from any sort of situation that would make her do any worse. He had to admit, being close to her had brought back memories that would sometimes appear when he would be meditating or deep in thought. The woman in front of him was attractive, but definitely not his type at all.

 

"Aside from the amount of alcohol that we consumed, what was another reason we got married?" Shaina asked, once again catching Shaka deep in thought. "It couldn't be just for the reason to have sex."

 

Shaka took in the words that Shaina said. She never referred to their night together as making love; it was always referred to as sex or other terms for it. He found it a bit interesting that a woman would fight to be single rather than fighting him to stay married. Shaina wasn't like any other woman and he was beginning to see that more and more.

 

"If memory serves me well, we both thought it would be a good idea." Shaka said he took a step forward and saw how Shaina seemed to be uncomfortable with that action. "I also recall how we both thought it would be a good idea for us to tell everyone we were married, but ended up keeping it a secret so we could surprise them."

 

"With so much alcohol in our system, I am not surprised that we found a lot of things as good ideas." Shaina said as she took the glass from the coffee table and drank the rest of her water. She placed the glass back on the coffee table and looked at her so-called husband. "I want an annulment, I don't know how many more ways I could tell you this. I would like for you to consider the way I feel as well. We would be able to put all this behind us like it never happened."

 

"We would still know." Shaka replied.

 

"It will always remain between us, but it will be easier if one us decides to remarry one day." Shaina turned on her heel and walked back to where she had been sitting earlier. "I'm not the person you want to stay married to for the rest of your life."

 

Shaina felt like she was losing an uphill battle. She wasn't getting through to him and didn't know how long it would take for her to lose it completely. Her stomach turned, she didn't know if it was because she was trying hard not to throw a fit or not get what she wanted. Shaina felt the bile rise in her throat and she quickly covered her mouth. She looked at Shaka with a panic look in her face and hoped that he understood.

 

"It's the first door on the left." Shaka said as he saw the woman hurry towards the restroom. He waited patiently for her in the living room. He took off his suit jacket and waited for her to come back.

 

It didn't take long for her to come back to the living room. He watched her carefully as she opened her purse and took a mint out. Shaka grabbed the glass that she had left on the coffee table and filled it with water. He approached her and offered her the glass.

 

"Take this" Shaka handed her the glass of water. He observed her closely to make sure she was all right.

 

"Thank you." Shaina said before taking a drink from the glass.

 

"Are you all right?" Shaka asked with concern in his voice.

 

"Yes, just an upset stomach, that's all." Shaina said as she took another sip of water.

 

"I'll fill out the papers for the annulment. I'll make sure my lawyer takes a look at them before they're filed." Shaka gave in, he still wasn't sure why. It might have been the fact that he would have ended fighting her along the way. It might have been the way she looked at that moment. All he knew is that he had to give in to her, it would be the last time he would.

 

"Are you completely sure you won't fight me on this." Shaina asked as she looked at him surprised.

 

"I'm sure. I'll have my lawyer contact yours."

 

"Thank you." That's all Shaina said as she picked her purse up from the chair. She took a couple of steps towards Shaka and gave him a light kiss on the cheek and thanked once again before heading out the front door.

 

Shaka saw the door close behind her and stood there for a moment. He took a seat on the sofa and rubbed his face. He felt exhausted and drained from that meeting alone. Shaka leaned back on the sofa and closed his eyes. Something in the back of his head was telling him that he had made a mistake. He should have followed his decision and done all he could to convince her that they should have stayed married. There was no turn of the page now; he would have to file for an annulment.

 

****

****

**_ May 6th 1pm _ **

Marin noticed that the orders that one of the girls had taken the previous days were completely wrong. There was no way that they could make three hundred cupcakes in a day. Plus decorating and packing them. Something was way off with that order. Two of the slips were done in such a way that it seemed like a five year old had written them. Asterion, the other baker, continued to look at the order slips and then at her.

 

"There is no possible way these slips are correct." Asterion said as he placed one of the slips back on the table. "Are you going to talk to her or should I?"

 

"I'll do it." Marin said as she took all the slips that were on the table. "I'm just hoping that the order for three hundred cupcakes is completely wrong."

 

"You and me both." Asterion said as he saw Marin head to the back office.

 

The bakery had been gaining a lot business lately, after the owner had decided to have a booth on the bridal expo in late February. Brides had been placing their orders ever since. The bad thing was that now there were many orders that had to be called to be double checked. It made the bakery look incredibly unprofessional. Marin reached the owner's office only to find that the door was closed. She could hear voices coming from the other room, but she couldn't make out the conversation. Marin stood there for a minute or two till she just couldn't wait to stand there any longer. She knocked on the door and waited for a response.

 

"Anika, we have a problem with the order slips again." Marin said once she heard the person inside asking her to come in.

 

"What problem?" Anika, Marin's boss, asked as she took the slips that Marin was handing her. "Oh my, I see what you mean. Don't worry about it, give me twenty minutes and I will have all this sorted out."

 

"What about Hannah? She has been doing this for two weeks now." Marin said looking a little exasperated.

 

"Don't you worry about Hannah I will take care of her too. There is no way we are going to be correcting her work every single time she does this." The older woman said as she placed all the slips on her desk. "Just give me twenty minutes."

 

Marin rolled her eyes and closed the door behind her. Anika was a lovely boss, but she never kept her word on fixing the conduct of the staff. Marin walked back to her baking station and sat on the small stool she had. She looked at the picture of one of the wedding cakes she had to decorate and placed it on the stainless steel table. Asterion walked up to Marin's station and placed a cake on the table that would be one of the wedding cake layers.

"How did it go?" Asterion asked as he sat across from Marin.

 

"Anika said she would take care of it. All she needs is twenty minutes." Marin said as she got everything ready to knead some fondant.

 

"That's promising." Asterion said as he prepared his station to knead some fondant as well.

 

"Let's just get this done. A couple of hours more and we could call it a day." Marin smiled at her co-worker. "Before I forget, do you want to be my plus one for Sazerac's reopening? We could check out the desserts."

 

"When is it?" Asterion asked before he agreed to the invitation.

 

"It's this Saturday at eight o'clock." Marin said hoping he would say yes. If there was one thing she didn't like is not having a plus one for events. She was sure that the girls already had their plus one. "We get to criticize other people's desserts."

 

"For the sake of research and to critique, I'm in." Asterion said smiling at his co-worker.

 

Marin smiled at her co-worker, content that she didn't have to go by herself to the event. Both pastry chefs began to work on the fondant for the wedding cake. They had two finish three cakes that would be delivered the following day. The good side in all this was the fact that the cakes were going to be simply decorated.

 

****

**__ **

**_ May 6th 5pm _ **

Junet finished filing the last couple of charts that were left to be filed. All six doctors were in their offices and Phoebe was working on the last forms. The last patient had left twenty minutes ago and now the office was quiet. Junet finished putting away the last file away and made her way to the break room. She noticed that Mu was tidying up the break room. He was placing the used cups and plates in the small dishwasher. Junet looked at the man and couldn't help take a good look at his back side.

 

'He sure has a nice round ass.' Junet thought to herself as she checked him out.

 

"Are you looking for something?" Shaka asked as he entered the break room.

 

"Who? Me? Umm… No!" Junet was caught off guard. She was too busy staring at the man in front of her that she didn't notice when her brother had come in. "I actually came to tidy up the break room before heading out for the day."

 

"I think Mu has most of it done already." Shaka said as he rinsed his cup before placing it inside the dishwasher rack.

 

"I finished my charting a little early today. I thought I would lend you girls a hand seeing as it is Friday." Mu said with a smile on his face. He had no clue that Junet had been checking him out. "I'm pretty sure you and the girls are planning to go out tonight."

 

"We didn't make any plans for tonight. Tomorrow we have plans to go out for dinner and some drinks." Junet said as she had the attention of both men. "Geist and Shaina got invited to some restaurant's reopening."

 

"Sazerac?" Shaka asked.

 

"Yeah, that's the one. One of the girls' cousin's is in the wine business. So the wine will be featured and carried by that restaurant." Junet began to pick up the empty sugar packets. "Do you want to go? I'm pretty sure that the girls won't mind."

 

"Um….." was all Mu could muster while Shaka remained silent.

 

"Give me a second. Let me talk to Shaina really quick." Junet said without giving both men a chance to protest. She took out her phone and called her friend. "Hey Shaina"

 

"Hey sweetie, what's going on?" Shaina asked from the other side of the line.

 

"I was wondering if you could add two more to the invite for tomorrow." Junet looked at the two men that were standing just a couple of feet away from her.

 

"I don't think that will be a problem. Did you find a date for tonight?" Shaina asked.

 

"Not exactly… Well, sort of…." Junet couldn't find the words. "My dates for the evening will be Shaka and Mu. I thought it would be fun to invite them, seeing as how much fun we all had in Vegas."

 

"Yeah…" Shaina paused; she had to take a breath in before proceeding. "Okay, just please be there on time. Don't forget the attire is semiformal."

 

"All right, I'll let them know. I'll let you go. I'm pretty sure that you are still at work, busy like always." Junet said with a smile on her face.

 

"I'm almost done for the day. I'll see you tomorrow."

 

"Okay, see you tomorrow. Love you." Junet said

 

"Love you too." With that said, Shaina hung up.

 

Junet looked at her phone to make sure that the call had ended and then placed the phone back in her back pocket. She couldn't help but smile as both men just looked at her with questionable looks on their faces. She shook her head and continued to smile.

 

"I told you it would be fine." Junet said as she picked up the small pile of empty sugar packets. "It's tomorrow at eight at Sazerac. The dress attire is semi-formal."

 

Junet tossed the packets in the waste basket and then turned on her heel to head back to the reception area. Shaka and Mu looked at the woman exit the break room. They didn't know how to react to what had just happened. Junet had a way of always doing things like that. They should be used to it by now but sadly she would always catch them off guard. The more and more Shaka thought about, the more he would come to the conclusion that his sister was becoming more and more like their mother. The woman was spontaneous and always wanted to include everyone in everything.

 

"How is it exactly that she does that? I don't remember giving her an answer, did you?" Mu asked as he turned to look at his longtime friend.

 

"I wasn't able to say anything. She is becoming more like my mother." Shaka said as he continued to look out towards the reception area.

 

"I don't think that's a bad thing; your mother is pretty nice." Mu assured him.

 

"What I'm afraid of is that she will turn more like my grandmother. I love her but she has a way of making you agree to run for president and you won't even know it until it's too late." Shaka said

 

"I know you just saw her last night and that you both agreed on the annulment. Are you sure you want to see her in this type of setting?" Mu asked, quickly changing the subject. He didn't have to mention the woman's name. It was quite obvious who he was referring himself to.

 

"Against my better judgment, I gave her my word on filing for an annulment. Whatever happens tomorrow will be irrelevant." Shaka looked at his friend and began to make his way back to his office.

 

Mu stayed behind thinking of his friend's situation. He knew that Shaka felt nothing for the woman that he had married. He did know how strongly Shaka felt about the idea of marriage. Raki, Mu's wife, used to tell him that Shaka would one day fall in love and have what they had. She would always tell Shaka that the day he would fall in love, it would be with someone that he would least expect. Someone that would turn him on and at the same time make him say that she would end up killing him. That woman would be the one for Shaka. Sadly, Raki never got to meet the woman that Shaka had dated for several years. Yet, that woman never met the characteristics that his late wife had mentioned. For a moment Mu thought about his late wife and what she would think if she would have met Shaina. A smile soon appeared on his lips and made him laugh a little. Raki would most likely laugh at the knowledge of Shaka getting married in Vegas.

 

****

**__ **

**_ May 7th morning _ **

Geist ran out of her bathroom and into her living room. She held the towel that she had around her body tightly as she looked in her purse for her work phone. The phone stopped ringing but still she kept on looking for it. It had been her work phone that had been ringing. As Geist finally found her phone, it began to ring again. One look at the screen and Geist couldn't help but roll her eyes as to who was calling her so early in the morning. With resignation, Geist answered the phone and greeted the caller as politely as possible.

 

"Oh my gosh Geist, I'm so sorry to call you this early in the morning." The person on the other line didn't sound to apologetic.

 

"What can I do for you Esmeralda?" Geist rolled her eyes once more.

 

"My mother said that she wants to sing at our dinner rehearsal and at our wedding ceremony. She has even gone to several stores to look for a microphone. Can you believe that? She is buying herself a microphone!" Esmeralda said with panic in her voice.

 

What Geist couldn't believe was that she was getting this type of calls on a weekend, so early in the morning. Geist placed the call on speaker and checked her work calendar. Esmeralda kept going on and on about her mother, Geist managed to ignore most of it. She looked at the upcoming week and picked a day that she was the least busy. She picked a random time and made an appointment.

 

"I hear what you're saying, but I don't see this as a big problem." Geist said as she finished scheduling an appointment.

 

"What! What do you mean this isn't a big problem!" Esmeralda shouted loud enough that Geist had to take her off from speaker. "I love my mother but the woman doesn't know how to sing. Coyotes are better tuned when they howl at the moon than my mother has at singing."

 

"It won't be a problem because the wedding is an entire year away." Geist tried to keep her voice as serious as possible. She wanted to laugh at the comment Esmeralda had made about her mother. "Besides, the live music you are having is one of the best bands in the city. Your mother will love them so much that the idea of singing won't cross her mind."

 

"I don't know." Esmeralda was not too convinced. "Geist, you don't really know how mother could get. The woman is insane, especially when she has had one too many glasses of wine."

 

"Trust me, everything will turn out fine." Geist placed the call on speaker and began to search for the band's webpage. She soon found what she was looking for. "Listen, I have set you up an appointment with me for the eleventh which is this coming Wednesday. We'll talk about your wedding and everything that we can actually work on."

 

"Oh my gosh Geist that is amazing. So this Wednesday at what time?" Esmeralda asked as she suddenly forgot the drama with her mother.

 

"I have scheduled you at nine in the morning. Does that work for you?" Geist asked even though she already knew the answer.

 

"That would be great. I have so much I want to talk to you about the wedding. Oh, and I have so much I need to show you….." Esmerelda went on and on.

 

"All right, I will see you this Wednesday at nine in the morning." Geist interrupted the woman on the other side of the line. "Bye."

 

"See you then."

 

Geist hung up the phone before the bride-to-be went on and on. She placed the phone on the coffee table and headed back to her room. As she entered the room she noticed that her bed companion was already getting dressed. She gave him a look that pretty much said it all. The man standing across from her smirked at her then continued buttoning up his shirt.

 

"Let me guess, by the look you have on your face I'm guessing it was your favorite bride." Dante smiled at her.

 

"Is it so bad to wish that she would just run off to Vegas and elope?" Geist said as she sat on the edge of her bed.

 

"No, but then you wouldn't get paid that commission you've been telling me about." Dante told her as he now stood in front of her.

 

"True….. It would just be so easy if she did that." Geist pouted.

 

"A year goes by fast."

 

"So does my patience." Geist added. At that moment Geist remembered that Dante hadn't given her an answer about the plans for that evening. "Let change the subject. So, do you want to be my plus one for tonight?"

 

"Tonight?" Dante asked as Geist had caught him off guard with the quick subject change. "Oh, you mean tonight at Sazerac?"

 

"Yes, tonight. You, me, my sister and friends accompanied by their plus one." Geist had finally decided to ask him to meet her friends. She didn't really care if their 'relationship' wouldn't go far. She was just tired of being his plus one and not the other way around. "You know what. It doesn't matter; I could always be my sister's plus one."

 

Geist stood up and walked passed him. She was growing tired of that so called relationship. If it wasn't for the fact that she was getting laid on an almost regular basis she would had dumped him. Who was she kidding that man was brilliant when it came to sex. Plus, he knew how to use his tongue really well. Geist went into her bathroom and removed her towel so she could put on her robe. She grabbed her comb and began to untangle her wet hair.

 

"I'll pick you up tonight." Dante said as he now stood behind her.

 

"I'll see you tonight then." Geist said indifferently.

 

Dante kissed the top of her head and soon headed out the door. If it was one thing he knew, it was never to make that woman mad. He had never been the one on the receiving end of her anger but he had seen enough not to be at that end. As Geist heard the front door close she couldn't help but smirk to herself. She had got what she had wanted. Sadly, she knew that relationship would have to come to an end sooner or later. Geist hoped that it would be later, much, much later.

 

**__ **

**__ **

**_ May 7th 8:15 pm _ **

 

Geist found the group already sitting at their reserved table. She smiled at the group and soon noticed that Shaina was nowhere to be found. Without thinking much about it she went and to greet every single person at the table. She made her way to Dante and introduced him to the group. Junet and Marin gave their friend a knowing smile. Geist gave them a warning look just in case they were thinking of starting something.

 

"So where is my beloved twin?" Geist asked as Dante pulled out the chair so she could sit.

 

"She is working the floor with potential investors for your cousin." Junet said as she pointed to the woman that was with a small group of men that were standing by the bar.

 

"Yeah, she is working the floor all right. Wine glass at her hand and the perfect business smile she knows how to wear." Geist said as a waiter placed a wine glass next to her water glass.

 

"That's how you know she is working the room?" Marin asked before taking a sip of her wine glass.

 

"Yeah, that and she has that don't you dare fuck with me look on her face." Geist said before she took a sip of her own wine glass. "I give her five more minutes before she gets tired and heads back to the table."

 

It didn't take more than the time Geist had said when they noticed that Shaina was already making her way to the table. As she walked towards them she placed the glass of wine on the tray of the waiter that was passing by. Shaina was about to pull her chair out to sit down when Asterion, Marin's plus one, stood up and did it for her. Shaina thanked him and sat down.

 

"Having fun?" Geist asked her sister.

 

"Oh yeah….." Shaina replied in a sarcastic tone. "Just as much fun as when mom would make us parade up on stage."

 

"Oh gosh don't remind me." Geist said gaining a look not only from Dante, but the entire group. "Our mother thought it was a fun way to bond with us by entering us in every single beauty pageant she could find."

 

"You two were in beauty pageants?" Mu asked after he swallowed the sip of water he had drank.

 

"They won crowns and all. I think Shaina even won USA National Princess when she was nine or was it Geist?" Junet said gaining a look from the twins. Junet ignored them and with a smile continued. "I think I could find some pictures of them online."

 

"Speaking of pictures, has Junet showed you the book that Geist made for us? It has a lot of pictures of Vegas." Shaina directed herself towards Mu and Shaka. She had quickly turned the attention on Junet. "Why haven't you showed them the book Junet? I'm pretty sure they would like to see all the embarrassing moments we had."

 

"I would like to see that book." Mu said oblivious to what was going on between the two women.

"I'll make sure you both get a copy." Geist said as she joined her sister.

 

Mu and Shaka noticed the look that Shaina, Geist and Junet were giving one another. Mu couldn't help but smile at the interaction. Shaka on the other hand was taking note as in how to deal with one of the twins in particular. He had seen the way she had interacted with the group of men at the bar. She wasn't the type you could make her do what she didn't want to. She was the type that you had to watch out for.

 

"What is it that you do for a living Shaina?" Dante asked as a way to redirect the conversation.

 

"I work for one of the top online companies as a retail buyer." Shaina said sounding all business like.

 

"Impressive. That means you travel a lot, correct?" Dante continued asking.

 

"Yes, there is a time in the year that I don't travel as much. But when that time comes I still deal with vendors over the phone and email." Shaina said as a waiter approached her to fill her wine glass. Shaina placed her hand over the glass and asked for a sparkling water.

 

"Not drinking tonight. I would think that after being with the group at the bar you would be on your second glass of wine already." Geist pointed out.

 

"I'm cutting back on drinking after Vegas." Shaina said as she took her glass of water.

 

"Why?" Junet asked.

 

"Think about it for a second." Shaina said gaining looks from everyone at the table. She tried to ignore the fact that someone in particular was looking at her. "We drank I don't know how many shots of tequila, followed by several glasses of champagne. I think I should give my liver a break for couple of months."

 

"I don't think Shaka and Mu drank that much. Did you?" Marin asked to whoever of the two answered.

 

"I'm afraid to say it, but yes I did." Mu admitted. "Shaka?"

 

"All I know is that it was a lot." Shaka said while taking his own glass of water.

 

"How long have you two been dating?" Asterion asked the two men that were sitting across from him.

 

Marin felt embarrassed by what her friend and fellow coworker had asked. Shaina and Geist began to laugh, while Junet tried to hold in her laughter. Shaka almost choked on the water he was about to swallow. Mu had this strange look on his face, while Dante and Asterion looked at the group waiting for a response.

 

"They are not a couple." Marin told Asterion in a low voice trying to be discreet.

"What?" Asterion asked not catching what his friend had said.

 

"They aren't a couple!" Marin repeated once more a little louder than the first time.

 

"Oh!" Asterion was embarrassed now. "I just thought… Since you both are sitting together and all."

 

"I'm pretty sure it's not the first time people think that." Junet said covering her mouth so they wouldn't see the huge smile on her lips. She gained a look from her brother in disapproval of her comment.

 

"Mu is actually here with Junet this evening." Shaina spoke up to help out her friend. She noticed the look Shaka had given Junet and didn't like it. She gained a smile from Junet as a thank you. "Shaka is my plus one for the evening."

 

Junet looked at her friend and mouthed a thank you once more. She was grateful for what her friend was doing for her and giving her an opening with Mu. Shaina simply smiled back and took a sip of her water. She had done it to save both men from the embarrassing assumption, but most all she had done it for her friend.

 

"My sincerest apologies to you both." Asterion said continuing to look embarrassed.

 

"So how exactly did Shaka become your plus one for this evening?" Geist asked trying to press her sister for information.

 

"It was sort of a last minute thing really. Junet told me last minute about inviting them. I didn't have a date; it really all just came together at the last minute." Shaina said not giving any time for Junet or Shaka to answer.

 

Geist looked from one person to the other and she wasn't quite buying what her sister was selling. Geist smirked at the idea that she was building up in her head and gave a look to Marin as if telling her to follow her lead.

 

"So Shaka, do you like Shaina?" Marin asked looking at the person she was speaking to.

 

"It's okay, I mean if Junet is okay with Shaina being your plus one and all." Geist continued not giving him much chance to answer.

 

"Are you okay with this Junet? I mean he is your big brother and all?" Marin continued to ask.

Junet looked at Marin and Geist going back and forth will all the questions. She knew that either Shaka or Shaina were going to lose their composure. In which she was betting that Shaina would be first, seeing that her brother was used to keeping calm.

 

"It's like Shaina said. It was a last minute thing." Shaka said dryly while giving a look to the woman he was paired with for the evening.

 

"I understand that it was a last minute thing, but you didn't answer Marin's question. Do you like my sister?" Geist pressed the question.

 

"Oh for crying out loud Geist! The man has no interest in me and I have no interest in him." Shaina said a bit exasperated. She was no longer speaking towards the entire group. Shaina was speaking Italian and only directing herself to Geist. "What do you think? That I'm so desperate to open my legs for just about anyone. You and Mani do this to me all the time. I swear if it was up to you and Mani, I would never get laid."

 

"I am trying to get you laid and you are ruining everything." Geist answered her sister in Italian. Geist turned to look at the man they were talking about and smirked. "He looks like the type that might have a one night stand with you. He also looks like the type that could handle you in bed."

 

"Geist, just shut up." Shaina shook her head in disapproval. She didn't like the fact that her sister was bringing up her sex life out for those who would understand their native tongue. She looked at her sister's date and remembered that Geist had mentioned in one of their conversations that the man she was seeing was fluent in Italian. "I am mortified."

 

Shaina stood up from her chair and made her way to the ladies room. Marin noticed the look that Shaina had on her face. Even though she didn't know much Italian, she still knew that Shaina was a bit upset with what Geist had said. Marin stood up and excused herself from the table.

 

"So Shaka, do you like my sister?" Geist said getting a look from her date and the man that she was asking. "Do you at least find her attractive?"

 

Junet started to feel a little annoyed but at the same time wanted to continue this little game. Mu on the other hand wanted to know his friend's answer. Asterion and Dante didn't care for the man's response but they did find the interaction between the girls entertaining.

 

"Yes, I do find her attractive. But she is not my type nor do I like her." Shaka said calmly as he looked at Geist.

 

"You might not like her and she might not be your type. But that you would take her to bed, you would." Geist said with a smirk on her lips. She looked at the man in front of her with a look that told him she knew something he didn't.

 

Shaka ignored the way she was looking at him. Mu had a small smile on his face at seeing how direct Geist was being. Junet on the other hand was a bit nervous on what was going on.

 

**_((O))_ **

 

Shaina and Marin returned to their table as they were placing their food. The rest of the group that was sitting had moved around. Somehow someone of the group had had the brilliant idea of changing places. There had been two chairs that were empty at their table. Since everyone one had moved around, their table was now seated eight. Marin went up to her seat which was between Asterion and Junet. Shaina's seat was still next to her sister, but now instead of being between her sister and an empty seat, it was Shaka who filled the seat next to her. Shaina rolled her eyes and just continued to walk till she reached her seat. Shaka, being the gentleman he was, stood up and pulled Shaina's chair out so she could take her seat.

 

"Shaina are you really not going to drink any wine tonight?" Junet asked her friend with a soft smile on her lips.

 

"Seriously, I'm not. It's shocking, I know" Shaina said as she returned the smile. "I think I need a break from drinking any type of alcohol."

 

"Well you sure are missing out. This is actually a really good wine." Marin said.

 

"The food is amazing, my compliments to the chef." Dante said to no one in particular. "The wine is very well paired."

 

"Oh come on Shaina just take a small sip." Geist stretched her arm out handing her a glass of wine.

 

Shaina took the glass and placed it close enough for her to take in the scent. It had a lovely aroma to it but for some reason it wasn't sitting well with her. Shaina pulled the glass away from her and handed it back to her sister.

 

"It smells wonderful but I just can't." Shaina said as she grabbed her glass of sparkling water and took a sip. Once she placed her glass back on the table. She noticed how Junet was talking to Mu. Shaina couldn't help and glance at the man that was sitting next to her. She wanted to know if he was seeing the same thing she was seeing. From the look of it, he was. Shaina smiled, content that he had noticed his best friend being attentive towards his sister. "I think they would make a great couple, don't you?"

 

Shaka looked at the woman that sat next to him, then at his sister and his best friend. He knew the crush his sister had had on Mu. He also knew that she hadn't taken the news of him getting married and having a child too well. Shaka continued to look at them and then directed his attention to his soon to be ex-wife.

 

"At just a glance they do. I just don't think my sister would be willing to fill that large spot that Mu's late wife left behind." Shaka took the cloth napkin from his lap and dabbed his lips. He noticed that Shaina had barely touched her food. "Aren't you going to eat?"

 

"As delicious as it is. I hardly eat at this type of events. Besides, I don't think my stomach is up for much food tonight." Shaina said as she placed her fork on the side of her plate.

 

"Are you feeling alright?" Shaka asked, going right away into doctor mode.

 

"Yes, it's just what I tell you. I hardly eat at this type of events." Shaina sat back on her chair and signaled the waiter so that he could remove her plate. "Now if you'll excuse me."

 

Shaina stood up from her chair and placed her clutch purse on the table. She took something out and closed it once more. She leaned into her sister and whispered in her ear that she would be back. Shaina made her way to the restroom once more, but tried her best not to look like she was hurrying.

 

"Is she okay?" Junet asked as she had noticed that her friend had disappeared towards where the restrooms were.

 

"Yeah she just had a phone call. I think her phone had vibrated a couple of times and she couldn't ignore it any longer." Geist assured them.

 

"No wonder she didn't eat." Marin added.

 

"She never eats at this type of events." Junet said as she noticed that her brother looked at her a bit surprised. Junet didn't know why, but yet she didn't bother to ask. "That woman needs a vacation desperately.”

 

"I think another trip to Vegas would sit her just fine." Geist smiled at her friends before she took a bit of her food.

 

"Vegas? I was thinking more like a cruise or something like that." Marin said as she placed her wine glass back on the table. "Maybe this summer we can go."

 

"We can't this summer. Nonna's birthday is in July and she has requested that all the Rinaldi family attend." Geist said as she took her glass of wine in her hand. "Shaina has even asked for some time off."

 

"Well that's good." Junet said as she placed her fork on the side of the plate. "The food was excellent, don't you agree?"

 

"I have to agree, it was quite delicious." Mu replied as he too had finished his meal.

 

"I wonder what we're having for dessert." Marin said to no one in particular.

 

"You and your desserts, Marin." Geist smiled.

 

"It's for the sake of research." Asterion pointed out with a smile on his lips.

 

"Research? Sure, we believe you." Junet said in a sing song tone.

 

At that moment Shaina had made her way back to the table and into her chair. She opened her clutch purse and placed her phone inside. Discreetly she took out a mint and placed it in her mouth before anyone noticed. Shaina grabbed her glass of sparkling water and drank the remaining content. Shaina paid close attention to the conversation and couldn't help but smile. Once Marin and Asterion started talking about desserts, there was no way they could stop them. Both pastry chefs had a passion for baking and creating wonderful, tasty treats.

 

The dessert had been exquisite. Each person received a pear and blackberry crisp, which the fruit was locally grown. Asterion and Marin were already discussing the dessert as each would take a bit at a time. Live music began to play a beautiful melody; it made the ambiance in the restaurant perfect. They all ate their dessert and occasional small talk. Shaina had given most of her dessert to Marin who was determined to find all the spice ingredients so she could later replicate.

 

The band began to play this beautiful melody, which coincidentally was named Unchained Melody. Several people from other tables began to stand and make their way to what was meant to be the dance floor. Marin and Asterion were oblivious to what was going on around them. Junet turned to look at all the lovely couples that were dancing. Geist gestured to Dante that they should go dance themselves.

 

"Shaina aren't you going to dance?" Geist asked as she stood up.

 

"With whom exactly should I dance with?" She told her sister while giving her an annoyed look.

"Well, since Shaka is your plus one for this evening. I think that he would be the obvious choice." Geist said with a smile.

 

"If memory serves me well, the man has two left feet when it comes to dancing." Shaina said after she looked at the man sitting next to her. "No offense."

 

Shaka placed his glass of water back on the table and dabbed his mouth with the cloth napkin. He was getting annoyed by the conversation that the twins were having about him. He never liked the fact that he was being underestimated, especially by the person that was supposed to be his wife. Shaka stood up and stretched out his hand as a gesture for Shaina to take his hand. Geist smiled triumphantly and took Dante's hand in hers. The couple left, leaving Shaina and Shaka standing there both awkwardly holding hands.

 

"You don't have to do this. I can easily find someone one else to dance with me." Shaina said trying to take her hand back as discreetly as possible. "I can even ask Mu to dance with me, that's if Junet is okay with it."

 

"I think Mu is busy with his plus one. I don't think I will disappoint you much, seeing as I can't dance and all." Shaka said as they arrived to the dance floor. Shaka pulled her closer to him and began swaying her. He kept such a tight hold on her waist that she wouldn't easily get out of his grasp.

 

They both danced along to the music, while he kept her close to him. Once in a while Shaina would look for a way to get out of his grasp, but to no avail. He had such a firm hold on her that any woman would feel safe and secure. Any woman except for her, that is. The song ended and another began to play soon after. Shaka didn't loosen his hold on her and they continued to dance. Shaina knew the man could dance, even when they were completely intoxicated, the man could still hold his rhythm.

 

"I'm sorry I said you couldn't dance." Shaina said apologetic. "I know I'm a bitch most of the time, but I do know how to admit when I am at fault."

 

"Apology accepted." Shaka said. "In regards to what your sister told you earlier. I have to agree with her. I am capable of handling you in bed."

 

"How did you…" Shaina was shocked that he had understood the conversation she and her sister had.

 

"I'm not fluent by any means, but I understand enough." Shaka looked at the woman he was dancing with. "I took a crash course in Italian when I was in college, for a trip I was going to take."

 

"Oh..." was all Shaina could say. Shaina gained her composure right away and thought on what he had said. "I doubt you can handle me. We were both so drunk that we didn't know our left from our right."

 

"We were drunk enough, true, but I was sober enough to handle you. I believe your exact words were..." Shaka leaned into her ear and whispered what Shaina had moaned that night. He felt her body tense as she heard her words being whispered into her ear.

 

"Don't flatter yourself." Shaina said relaxing in his arms. At some point Shaina had started to enjoy his hold on her. His scent was wonderful and for some reason she was getting turned on. She had to stop herself. "Besides I was drunk, better judgment flies out the window in that state. For all we know I was most likely faking it. I doubt you're even that good sober or drunk."

 

Shaka didn't have any time to reply as the music the band was playing came to an end. Shaina smiled triumphantly as she had the last word. Shaka looked at the woman in his arms as she was smiling smugly at him. For a brief moment he had loosened his hold on her giving Shaina enough leeway to step away from him. She thanked him for the dance and excused herself. Shaina had no more interest in dancing the rest of the night. She no longer had interest in being there for the remainder of the evening. She walked back to their table and noticed that Marin and Asterion were doing the same.

 

"Did you guys dance?" Shaina asked as she reached her place at the table.

 

"Just a song." Marin said taking a seat.

 

"We mostly talked to the pastry chef." Asterion said taking his seat right after Marin.

 

"Oh you two…" Shaina couldn't help but smile. "Are you calling it a night soon?"

 

"I think so." Marin answered then looked at her date for the evening. "What do you think?"

 

"I'm ready whenever you are." Asterion said taking his glass of water.

 

"Are we having brunch tomorrow?" Marin asked Shaina.

 

"I don't think so. At least I hope not." Shaina said as she remained standing by her seat.

 

"Me too." Marin said with a tired look on her face.

 

"Do you want to start heading out?" Asterion asked, noticing that she looked a bit tired now.

"I think so." Marin told her plus one. She turned to look at Shaina which had the same tired look on her face. "Are you ready to go Shaina?"

 

"Yeah" Shaina turned her attention to the dance floor where her sister and friend were dancing.

The song that was being played ended and another soon followed. To Marin and Shaina's luck the girls were making their way back. Both couples seemed to have been enjoying themselves, something that Shaina would have loved to have been doing herself.

 

"We were wondering where you all had gone to." Geist said once she reached the table. "Are you taking a break?"

 

"No… We were actually thinking about calling it a night." Marin said from her seat.

"So soon?" Junet pouted.

 

"We don't all have to leave. You all could continue dancing the night away." Shaina said while suddenly feeling tired. "I think I'll start heading out now. Call me tomorrow if you are going to have dinner with dad."

 

"Come on, don't go." Geist pleaded with a small pout on her lips. "One more hour and you can go."

 

"Geist, I can barely stay on my feet." Shaina knew she was being a bit melodramatic but she really wanted to leave. "Just call me if you are going to have dinner with dad or not."

"I really don't want you to go, especially by yourself." Geist was being a bit melodramatic herself.

 

"I'll take her home." Shaka said catching the last of the conversation, as he approached the table. "Mu, could you make sure that my sister gets home safe."

 

"Yes, of course." Mu assured his friend.

 

"That won't be necessary. I am more than capable of getting a taxi to take me home." Shaina said as she looked at the man that stood across from her. "I don't need for you to take me home. I got here on my own; I can leave on my own."

 

The group looked from Shaka to Shaina. The tension between them was growing and none of them knew what to do.

 

"I know you are extremely capable of doing things on your own." Shaka looked at her like if there was no one around looking at them. "I didn't offer to take you. I said I would take you home. There is a big difference between the two."

 

Shaina had to take a deep breath to calm herself or else she would make a scene. She questioned herself as to how she had ended up married to such a man. Not wanting to argue in front of the rest of the group she said her goodbyes and turned on her heel without saying another word. She was standing on a very thin line and if she would lose her composure they would end up spilling out things that she didn't want anyone to know about. Shaka said his goodbyes as well and walked towards where Shaina was heading. The group saw the couple leave and let out a breath that none of them knew they were holding.

 

"I wouldn't want to be the one riding home with those two." Marin said to no one particular.

 

"You and me both." Asterion agreed.

 

"I don't know which one is worse, Shaina or Shaka?" Geist questioned not believing that both could be so stubborn.

 

"Shaina, definitely Shaina." Junet said defending her brother.

 

"You say that because he's your brother." Marin said looking at her friend.

 

"Shaka could give her a run for her money." Mu said only to gain a look from Junet. "What? Shaka is my best friend but I'm not blind to how he can be."

 

"True." Junet agreed as she let out a sigh.

 

The group continued to look towards where the couple had walked off to. They stood there for a few more minutes before Marin broken the silence and told them that she was heading out. She had purposely let a few minutes go by, just enough not to bump into Shaka and Shaina. She was sure that they would be arguing until they reached Shaina's apartment.

 

**_((O))_ **

 

Shaina got out of the car as soon as Shaka had brought it to a complete stop. It had been torture riding with him in complete silence. She opened her small clutch purse and looked for her keys. The doorman, whom Shaina did not know as well, greeted her in the lobby with polite smile. By the time she reached the elevator she had her keys in one hand and her purse in the other. Shaina pressed the elevator button and waited for it to arrive. The elevator doors opened and Shaina entered. She pressed the button to her floor and waited for the doors to close. Her annoyance grew when she saw Shaka getting into the elevator.

 

"What are you doing?" Shaina asked as the doors to the elevator closed.

 

"I guess I'll have to repeat myself. I'm taking you home like I said before." Shaka said a little annoyed that he was repeating himself.

 

"You drove me home; I made it to the lobby on my own and guess what? I made it all the way into the elevator by myself; I'll make it on my own to my apartment." Shaina looked at him and then the screen of the elevator. Without any warning Shaka reached over and took her keys from her hand. "What are you…"

 

"I will make sure that you will make it safely inside your apartment. There are many dangers around this city and Junet would never forgive me if something happened to you." Shaka said as he placed the keys inside his jacket pocket.

 

"Give them back to me!" Shaina replied trying to get her keys out of his pocket without thinking of the proximity.

 

Shaina tried to take her keys out of his pocket but the task itself was proving to be difficult. In one fast move, Shaka turned the tables on her. He had managed to put her in his place making Shaina stand in the corner of the elevator. He placed his arm over her shoulder and leaned into her and whispered in her ear.

 

"How desperate are you to get your keys back, my dear wife." Shaka said keeping his position.

 

"Not desperate enough and please don't call me that." Shaina answered as she tried to ignore his intoxicating scent. His proximity, the way he smelled was taking some effect on her state.

 

Shaka looked at the woman he had cornered in the elevator. He kissed her without thinking much of it. He didn't know whether it was the proximity or the way he wanted to prove to her that he could handle her. He placed his other hand on her waist and brought her in closer to him. Shaka felt as her body had tensed with the action of his kiss. Shaina placed her hand on his chest and had begun to push him away. The elevator stopped and dinged, announcing that it had reached its destination. Shaina pushed Shaka away with both hands and made her way out of the elevator. She walked down the hall and as she reached her door she remembered that he had her keys. She kicked herself mentally at how stupid she had been for forgetting. It didn't take long before she felt him behind her. Shaina turned on her heel slowly so that she could face him.

 

Shaka didn't waste any time. His lips brushed her neck and he found his way to her mouth, slowly tantalizing her with his tongue on the way. He pushed her back against the door while his arms encircled her waist. Shaina kept trying to keep her head together, but she slipped deeply into his kiss. She felt a strong wave of desire hit her body. She wanted to be held, and touched, and she wanted him to soothe the fire that had started to build up since that day in Mu's apartment. Shaina's fingertips ran from his shoulder, down his chest, down his lower abdomen, and across his hips. She heard him groan as she skimmed over to his front and traced lines up and down his thigh, and around his now completely full erection. She smiled to herself as she heard his breath go ragged, and she traced closer and closer with her fingertips, then up and around him, ever so lightly.

 

Shaina pulled away from him ever so slowly and looked at him. They were at that moment where they could just go their separate ways or he could follow her into her apartment. As if he knew what she was thinking, Shaka pulled the keys out of his suit jacket and with his other hand took hers in his. He placed the keys in her hands and waited for her to make her move. Shaina looked at him and then at his hand in hers. She felt the weight of the keys and his hand slowly moving away from hers. Shaka waited for her to make the next move. Whatever she would choose next he would respect. Both were consenting adults, both were sober and they were both aroused. He leaned into her and once again brushed his lips on her neck. Shaina closed her eyes and enjoyed the way he was making her feel. She was so far in that she was close to orgasm. Shaka felt how Shaina arched her back to lean closer to him. He kissed her neck lightly making his way to her ear.

 

"Nothing will change between us." Shaka whispered in her ear. "I will keep my word."

 

Shaina held her keys tight in her hand and slowly moved away from him. She turned on her heel and fumbled a bit with her keys. Without looking back, Shaina grabbed his hand in hers and lead him inside her apartment.

 


	3. Chapter 3

_"When life won't play along_

_And right keeps going wrong_

_And I can't seem to find my way_

_I know where I am found"_

\- MercyMe (Move)

 

 

**Chapter 3**

**__ **

 

**_ May 8th 10 am _ **

Shaka opened his eyes and noticed the small amount of light coming in from the window. His eyes adjusted to the brightness of the room as he tried to recognize the room he was in. When he brought his hand towards his eyes, he noticed the warm body that was lying on his right side. Shaka moved his arm ever so slowly, trying hard not to wake the woman up. The feel of her naked body on him was causing some effect on his lower body. Shaka looked down at the woman, whose head was on his chest. Her hair was covering her face and her arm was across his waist. Shaka moved the hair away from her face so he could see her better. Their night together had been wilder than their time in Vegas. She had been as dominant in bed like she had been in their honeymoon.

Shaka smiled to himself as he saw the woman sleeping in his arms. He couldn't compare her with any other woman he had slept with; and he never would compare her with any other. The woman was a mixture of passion, sensuality and roughness all rolled into one. For him, Shaina Rinaldi, was the type of woman that loved sex and wasn't the type to hide it from her partner. Shaka caressed her cheek as she slept. She had proven to be the type that was hard to handle in bed and yet he had shown her that he was capable of doing so. He had made her moan his name out loud several times and he loved every single time she had done so. It was something that he would be able to tell her once she was awake.

Shaina stirred in her sleep and moved the arm she had brought him closer to herself. The air conditioner in the apartment had turned on and Shaina curled up to him even more. With one hand Shaka pulled the flat sheet up covering them both. He made sure she wouldn't stir anymore before he could move. A couple of minutes passed before Shaka tried to get out of bed. He really didn't want to wake her up. They had a long night the night before and she needed her rest. Shaka slipped out of bed and into the cool air that filled the room. He noticed that Shaina remained sleeping. He pulled the flat sheet all the way to her shoulder.

Shaka picked his shirt up from the bench that was at the end of the bedroom. As he buttoned down his shirt, he noticed that the last four buttons of his shirt were missing. Shaka tucked his shirt in his pants and fixed it in order for the shirt not to open in the bottom. He began to walk around the room to look for his shoes. Shaka tried to be as quiet as possible in order not to wake up the woman that was in bed sleeping. With a slight movement in the bed, Shaka stopped from doing what he was doing. He waited until he made sure she wouldn't wake. He had to admit that the woman in the bed was beautiful, but she was too much for him. She definitely didn't fit the type of woman he dated.

 

**_((O))_ **

 

Shaina woke up with the bed sheet all the way to her shoulder. The room was for the most part quiet, with the occasional sound that the air conditioner made when it turned on. She stretched out as much as she could and took a breath in. She placed the flat sheet up to her chest and remained still. As it was custom to her, Shaina reached over to her nightstand to get her phone. She was surprised not to find it in its usual spot. She thought about where she had placed it and soon realized that her phone was still in her purse. Shaina soon remembered why her phone was still in her purse and she never brought it into her room the night before. As if instinct kicked in Shaina held the sheet tightly around herself. She slowly got out of bed and wrapped herself with the flat sheet. She cautiously made her way into the living room and stood still to see if she could hear any noise. She slowly walked into her kitchen only to find it empty. Letting out a sigh of relief, Shaina made her way to her front door to make sure that it was locked. Only the bottom lock was in place and that made her smile in with relief. Shaina placed the dead bolt lock on and went back into her room.

Shaina sat on the edge of her bed thinking of the idiotic thing she had done the previous night. She couldn't believe the things she had done and the things that he had done to her. The worst part of it all was the fact that she had enjoyed it immensely. She had enjoyed the way his body felt against hers. The way his lips felt on hers and the rest of her body. He had made her moan his name out loud for most of the night. The things he whispered in her ear, the things he did with his tongue and the way he moved inside her. She had enjoyed it all. Shaina held the flat sheet tight on her body and placed her head in her hands.

'What have I done?' She thought to herself. 'Why him?'

Shaina couldn't think of anything other than the fact that she had enjoyed having sex with that man. She had been turned on by him since the day they met up with him in Mu's house. The way he smelled; that was one thing she enjoyed that day. His scent. Shaina was finding weird that she could actually find herself aroused by how a man smelled. She couldn't think of another time when she had found herself thinking about the way a man smell. She took a deep breath in and exhaled. The pure thought about the way he smelled brought up that feeling once more. Shaina closed her eyes and could actually imagine his scent at that moment. The image was so vivid she actually could imagine that he was there in that very room. She didn't understand what was going on with her. Shaina took another deep breath in, but that idea of his scent was still much alive in her mind. Shaina opened her eyes and realized she was breathing into her sheets. It dawned on her that she was actually smelling his scent. Shaina sniffed several parts of her sheets and realized there was a small trace of his scent in them. She quickly removed the sheet off of her body and then proceeded to taking the pillow cases off and the rest of the bedding.

Shaina placed her sheets inside the washer and put them to wash. When she returned to her room, she sprayed the mattress and pillows with some fabric freshener. As she picked up some things that had been knocked off her nightstand she noticed the small foil wrapper on the floor. It had been torn opened and at seeing that she thanked all the gods for being safe. She tossed the wrapper in the waste basket and proceeded to take a shower. There was still one thing that needed cleaning and that was herself. She had to remove all evidence that man had been on her.

The water from the shower head ran down Shaina's body, removing all traces of body wash. Shaina grabbed the shampoo and began to wash her hair. As her brain began to process everything that had happened the night before and that very morning. Not only was Shaina laddering her hair, she was really laddering herself up. The man drove her crazy and she had fallen in bed with him once more. Not only that, but she had woken up to an empty bed. Then it hit her, he had used her to prove her wrong. He had gotten her all hot and bothered just to prove that he could handle her.

Shaina finished rinsing her hair and shut the water off. She practically yanked the towel from the hanger and dried herself off. She was beyond pissed off. There was no way that he would get away with the satisfaction of taking her to bed for his own benefit. She was not the woman he wanted to mess with. Even if she was his wife, that still didn't give him the right. Shaina dried her hair and wrapped the towel around her body. She looked at herself in the mirror and looked at herself with anger.

"Fuck!" She yelled out. "How can I be so fucking stupid?"

Shaina was beyond angry with herself and for what she had done. She promised herself right there and then that it would be the last time she would ever have sex with Shaka Mahajan. Shaina just had to make sure that she would keep her word.

 

 

**_ May 10th 12pm _ **

 

Geist entered the diner followed by Junet, who she had bumped into a block away from the diner. Both women had been running a little late to lunch. Inside the diner Marin was waiting for them on what seem to be their usual table now. Marin greeted them both as each one took a seat.

"Where's Shaina?" Geist asked.

"She went to the ladies room. By the looks of it I think she might be coming down with something." Marin took her menu and began to look it over. "Geist, I don't think that Shaina has been sleeping well, or eating well for that matter."

"What do you mean?" Geist asked with a concerned like in her face. "I saw her on Sunday and she looked completely fine."

"You will see what I mean when she gets here."

Junet and Geist turned to look at where the restrooms were. Shaina came out a minute or two later and made her way to the table. Geist noticed right away what Marin had meant. Her sister looked like she hadn't slept in days and by the pasty complexion underneath a very thin layer of makeup, she had been throwing up. Geist smiled at Shaina and gestured her to sit down.

"What's going on with you? On Sunday you looked great, now you look worse for wear." Geist said ever so lovingly.

"I haven't been feeling well since Monday morning. I've been dry heaving for most of a day, aside from the occasional purging of food that actually makes it to my stomach." Shaina took her glass of water and took a sip. She noticed her sister just looking at her. "What Geist?"

"Geez... I thought you got laid on Saturday." Geist said as she gained a nasty look from her sister. "What? I was sure you two were going to have sex. There was so much sexual tension between the two of you."

"Geist be quiet." Junet said in a low voice. Her friend looked at her with a questionable look. "My brother isn't the type to have one night stands, especially with one of my friends. He would have made sure she got home safe and wouldn't have left until she locked the door."

"Would that be after he had been inside the apartment?" Geist asked with a smirk on her lips. "Junet, your brother is a red blooded, testosterone filled, heterosexual man. Believe me when I say this, he's had one night stands."

"Eww… I try not to think of my brother in that way." Junet said making a face.

"And that's a good thing, because that would be a crime." Marin shimmed in.

"Why are we even talking about this?" Shaina asked regretting right away why she asked.

"Because you seem to be sexually frustrated and I thought Shaka did you the favor of screwing your brains out." Geist said while taking her menu. "I swear Shaina you better find someone to do soon or else I'm sending you a male prostitute."

"Do I look that desperate to you?" Shaina regretted opening her mouth.

"You look a bit too tense." Junet said politely.

"Like I said, you should've fucked Shaka when you had the chance. The man was as wound up as you were on Saturday." Geist opened her menu and began to look it over. "Tell me Junet how did your brother seem on Sunday or Monday for that matter?"

"Hmmm… On Sunday he actually went out with dad most of the day, so I didn't see him. As for yesterday..." Junet thought about it for a second or two. "He actually did seem a bit more relaxed, but that doesn't say much because he usually does his meditation in the morning."

"Junet, my dear sister wants to know if it seems like your brother and I had sex." Shaina said with annoyance in her voice. "But apparently Geist can't accept the fact that I would never sleep with your brother."

"Oh…" Junet said after understanding what Shaina had said. "Don't worry Shaina I have your back. I know you and my brother would never sleep together."

Shaina couldn't help but feel bad for her friend's trust and loyalty. If Junet would ever find out that she and Shaka had been married; that would be the day that their friendship would seize to exist. Shaina's eyes began to tear up as she thought about risking her friendship with Junet for something as stupid as marrying Shaka. Shaina wiped away the tear that had rolled down her face. Geist could see that her sister's mood had changed right away. She had noticed how Shaina had looked down and was subtle enough so no one would see that she had wiped away tears. It was there that Geist knew that her sister was going through something and she didn't want anyone to know.

"So what did you all think about Dante?" Geist asked as soon as the waitress took their order.

"He was nice." Junet said politely

"Just nice?" Geist asked.

"He was a little too, how can I say this nicely." Marin said trying to be as polite as Junet. "If you think Shaka has a stick up his butt. Dante says move over because here I come."

"True. I will have to admit that he could be too anal about certain things." Geist agreed.

"Honestly, Geist, why are you even asking us?" Shaina added herself to the conversation. "It's not like you are in love with the man."

"I know." Geist said after thinking for a second. Dante was not the type of man she saw herself in the long run with.

The waitress soon set their food on the table and the girls began to eat. Work conversation began and each girl took their turn. Junet spoke about the drama one patient had started. While Geist talked about her neediest bride. Shaina told them about her boss's plan to make her travel for longer periods of time. As for Marin, things at her work were not going too well.

"I swear, if that stupid dumb girl ruins one more order. I'm just going to let her have it." Marin said as she stabbed her salad with her fork. "Asterion and I have been baking like crazy and half of the things we bake are wrong orders."

"Have you spoken to your boss?" Junet asked.

"I have, Asterion has, the girls in the front have, even the two other bakers have and nothing." Marin said as she continued to stab her salad.

"I know you haven't said it but have you and Asterion thought about opening your own business?" Shaina asked her friend before taking a spoon full of her soup.

"We've talked about it and on Saturday we talked about it again." Marin said placing her fork on the side of her plate. "It would be too hard right now. We don't have the money for it."

"Well let me know when you both do. I'll send you some business your way." Geist said before taking a bite of her sandwich.

"I think I'm going to stop pursuing Mu for the time being." Junet said in a low voice gaining looks from the other three women. "Before you ask and we go on and on about this, hear me out first. The man drives me crazy, like in every way possible. I mean just look at him, he is gorgeous..."

"Junet, honey, focus." Geist said with a smile on her face.

"Sorry, anyways, when he drove me home we were talking and I came to the conclusion that maybe he doesn't want a serious relationship." Junet leaned back on her chair and looked at all three women. "His wife passed away five years ago. The woman was his life, she was his soul mate and I can't fill her shoes in any shape, way or form."

"He's been a widow for five years and he hasn't had a relationship?" Geist asked and gained a nod from her friend. "Has he at least had sex since his wife passed?"

"You know what Geist? I've been so busy figuring out how I really feel about him that I've never thought about asking myself that." Junet answered sarcastically. "He's gone out on dates, from there on, I have no clue."

"Sweetie, if you don't feel sure then, I think you should back off, just for the time being. There is no reason for you to torture yourself and try to fit into what you think would be his ideal." Shaina said as she looked at her friend.

"Yeah….." was all Junet could muster. Junet looked at her friend and decided to ask the inevitable. "Shaina, do you really like my brother? I know Geist plays around, but I can't help and think that maybe you might. It's okay if you do. I just want to know."

"Junet, I have no feelings for your brother whatsoever." Shaina said as she looked at her friend in the eye.

"Did you sleep with him on Saturday when he took you home?" Junet asked hoping that things hadn't gone so far between her friend and her brother.

"No. Junet I didn't sleep with your brother." Shaina said looking at her friend.

Junet felt a wave of relief over her. She had been wondering since Sunday when she had seen her brother arrive at their parent's house. As Geist had joked around about Shaina and Shaka, Junet couldn't help but think that the possibility was there. Now that Shaina had confirmed that nothing had happened, Junet was more than relieved. As for Shaina, she felt horrible. Aside from the fact that she hadn't been feeling well for eating who knows what. Shaina said a small prayed and begged that no one would ever find out that her life was temporarily attached to the man in question.

 

 

**_ May 11th 7pm _ **

 

Shaka stepped on the service zone and waited to see if Mu was ready to play. Once Mu was ready, Shaka bounced the ball once on the floor opposite to where Mu was standing. Once the ball bounced off the wall and passed the service zone they're rally began. Both men tried to keep the ball from bouncing twice on the floor. Shaka won the first one, so it was his turn to serve. They continued to play while having small talk here and there. It was Mu's turn to serve since Shaka had lost the rally. Mu stepped up the service zone and made his serve.

"I called you Saturday night after I dropped your sister in her apartment and went home." Mu said as he hit the ball with the racquet. "I had an emergency at home and you didn't answer."

"You didn't say anything on Monday morning. What was so important?" Shaka asked as he hit the ball towards the wall in front of them.

"I called you twice and you didn't answer." Mu wasn't able to hit the ball before it bounced on the floor twice and lost the rally. "I could have died."

"I don't remember hearing my phone go off." Shaka said as he served. "I apologize for the inconvenience."

"No problem….." Mu said as he hit the ball. "Please, tell me that at least you blew off my phone call because you were with someone. A beautiful woman with long hair, beautiful eyes, long legs around your waist and….."

Shaka missed the ball completely making it bounce twice before hitting the ball. He had been caught by surprise with what Mu had said. Mu had a way of always hitting the nail in the head without knowing much. Shaka grabbed the ball from the floor and tossed it to Mu. Mu had caught his friend's reaction and was a little surprised himself. He had just been joking; he knew his friend was extremely picky when it came to one night stands.

"How and when did you have the time to pick someone up?" Mu said as he served from the service zone. "When did you find the time, if you were supposed to take Shaina home... You didn't?"

"What?" Shaka said as he noticed his friend had missed the hit completely on purpose.

"Both of you... Again?" Mu said while looking at his friend.

"I didn't say anything." Shaka said as he went to grab his water bottle.

"Wait… Are you blushing?" Mu said as he walked towards his friend. There was no way he was letting this down so easily.

"I am not. I just need some water because of all this heat." Shaka hated being in this type of situation.

"Fine, I'll give you that, but you two need to figure out exactly what it is that you want." Mu said taking his water bottle from the floor. "You had already said that you had filed for the annulment. So does this mean that you two are…"

"No! I assured her that I would keep my promise and I did." Shaka said confirming that he had slept with his wife. "Aioros called me to let me know that she had already signed the papers."

"So when is your hearing?" Mu asked.

"On the twenty-third we will see the judge." Shaka said placing his bottle on the floor. "This will all be over soon."

Mu saw his friend walk up to the service zone to ready himself to serve. Mu took a drink from his bottle and thought about what his friend had said. He didn't know whether it was the situation his friend was in or if it was the woman he was in this with. All he knew was that it was completely off character for his friend to take to bed a woman he was supposedly not interested in. Another thought came into mind before Mu returned to his position behind the safe zone. He smiled to himself and got ready to play.

"There is one thing that is quite obvious here." Mu said as his friend served the ball.

"Yeah, what's that?" Shaka asked as the ball hit the front wall.

"Shaina is nothing like Mayura." Mu pointed out as he hit the ball.

Mu saw his longtime friend almost lose his step at the mention of both women in the same sentence. He turned on his heel to get the ball that had rolled away, as Shaka stared at his friend. Mu hadn't thought of his friend reacting that way and all he could do was hold in his laughter.

 

 

**_ May 17th early morning _ **

 

Shaina grabbed the small box she had placed on top of her night stand the previous night. She had read the instructions over a dozen times before placing it back on her night stand and calling it a night. Let's face it, Shaina hadn't done much sleeping as the box kept mocking her from where it was placed on her night stand. She didn't know at what time she had fallen asleep; all she knew was that the alarm going off on her phone had woken her up. Finally giving in that morning, she entered the bathroom while taking out the contents of the small box. Once again Shaina read the instructions over and over to make sure she understood them correctly. She released a breath she hadn't realized she was holding and shook her head. This wasn't the first time she was doing this; there had been other occasions where she had found herself doing the exact same thing.

'I've only done this twice.' she corrected herself mentally. 'And with many years in between.'

Shaina sat on the toilet and did exactly what the box instructed her to do. Slowly and with caution, she placed the test on the vanity of the sink. After washing her hands as like if she was about to do surgery, she left the bathroom and went straight for her phone. Five minutes, that is what the box said it would take for her to get results. Once the timer was set, Shaina proceeded on to get ready for work. She was fully dressed by the time she heard her phone going off. With phone in hand she slowly made her way into the bathroom.

"It's going to be fine. There is no way I could be pregnant." She told herself as she made her way into the bathroom. Shaina looked at herself in the mirror and took a deep breath in. "I'm a hundred percent sure I'm not pregnant."

Shaina looked down and picked the blue and white stick from the vanity. After staring at the stick for several minutes, she calmly places the stick back on the vanity. Shaina looked at herself once more in the mirror and took a deep breath in. The only thing she could think of at the moment was to take the other tests. Once again Shaina did as the instructions said and sat back on the toilet and took test number two. Five minutes later and with the results she had gotten from the second test, Shaina decided to call in late to work. There were three more tests in the box and she was going to take every single one of them. Upon waiting for the results of test number three, Shaina opened the app where she kept record of her monthly cycle.

Shaina wanted to screamed as she saw the last entry she had made on the app. She hadn't even entered the times she had been intimate and that was even worse to think about. There was only one person she had been intimate since her last period and the thought of it made her want to curse his name. Shaina thought about their last encounter that took place about a week ago and could clearly remember that he had worn a condom, twice. She thought long and hard about their weekend in Vegas. Sadly, she couldn't remember if she had told him to get a condom out or not. Shaina could now remember everything that had happened that night, all except if they had used protection or not.

"Fuck!" was all that came out of Shaina's mouth. "Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!"

Shaina had been forgetful about many personal important things lately. If it weren't for one of the women at work asking her for a tampon, it would have never clicked that she had missed her period. It surprised her even more that Geist had been complaining of cramps a couple of weeks back and she didn't' even bother to think about it much. Shaina walked to her kitchen and took out a large bottle of water and served herself in a glass. As she slowly took a drink from her water, Shaina stood there in silence. She hardly prayed, but at that moment she began to pray like she never had before. She promised God that she wouldn't have sex until the day she got married. She promised that she would actually look hard for someone she could settle down with. She promised that she would attend church every Sunday and be more charitable come the holidays. She even promised to go help out in the soup kitchen, as long as she would end up getting her period.

The timer going off brought Shaina out of her hope filled prayer. She crossed herself like a good catholic girl on Sunday mass would do and made her way to the bathroom. Once she saw the result, Shaina grabbed the test and placed it next to test number one and two. All three tests had given her the same result and it was quite obvious. After downing half a gallon of water, test four and five gave the same result as test one, two and three. All five digital screen read the same result and all Shaina was able to do was yell every curse word in the Italian language.

Shaina calmed herself as much as she could. Her heavy breathing and uncontrolled temper had slowly subsided. Shaina picked up the pieces of glass that lay on the sink from when she tossed the drinking glass across the room hitting the backsplash. Luckily nothing had happened to the backsplash itself, it was completely intact. Shaina cleaned the mess she made and went once more into the bathroom. She took a picture of all five tests before tossing them in the trash bin, along with the box and wrappers. Shaina wiped her tears and redid her makeup. There was only one thing to do before heading to work. Shaina walked into her bedroom and made a call to her OB GYN's office.

"Hi, my name is Shaina Rinaldi. I'm a patient of doctor Lendwell. I need to set up an appointment to have a pregnancy test done." Shaina said.

"You don't need to set up an appointment for that." The person on the line said.

"I need a blood pregnancy test."

"We only do those tests if you have had a missed period and you have taken a home pregnancy test."

"I'm two weeks late and I've taken a home pregnancy test already." Shaina said as so many thoughts came into mind. "I really need to make sure."

"Those do take a bit longer to get results but it's still on a walk-in basis." The person on the other line said.

"Alright, thank you." Shaina said before ending the call.

Shaina hung up and grabbed her purse that she had left on the sofa. She placed her phone inside the outside pocket and made her way to the front door. Five positive tests and now she was heading to take test number six. There was still a small chance that she had gotten a false positive, small, but a chance nonetheless.

' _Things just had to get more complicated.'_  She thought to herself as she locked the door behind her.

Shaina reprimanded herself all the way to her gynecologist office. This was definitely not the way she had expected for things to go for her that day. It was not the way her life was supposed to go at all.

 

 

**_ May 18th late afternoon _ **

 

Shaina sat on the bar stool of the kitchen. She had a glass filled with water in her hand as she looked at her cousin that stood on the other side of the kitchen island. Violate was busy slicing some eggplant. Every so often she would stop what she was doing and would take a sip of her wine. Shaina smiled, seeing her cousin preparing food for dinner brought back a lot of good memories. Violate looked at her cousins as she finished layering the last of the eggplant. Once she was done, she placed the dish inside the oven.

"I could have helped you, you know." Shaina said as her cousin picked up her glass filled with wine.

"I know." Violate said as she took another sip of her wine. "I'm sorry you are going to have to wait. Dinner will be late."

"Well, I'm two weeks late so." Shaina blurted out making Violate almost choke on her wine.

"You're pregnant?" Violate asked her cousin sounding shocked by the news. "Really?"

"Nah, I just thought I would throw it out there just for a good laugh." Shaina said sarcastically as she took a sip from her water.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am. I took three pregnancy tests at home which by the way lit up like Christmas trees." Shaina continued. "I went to the doctor and they did a blood test. I'm so fucked."

Violate grabbed her glass of wine from the counter and made her way around the kitchen island. Without saying much, she took her cousin's hand in hers and walked over to the living room. Both women sat on the large sofa and remained silent for a brief moment.

"When have you been having sex?" Violate finally broke the silence while gaining a look from her cousin. "I didn't mean it that way."

"It was back in Vegas." Shaina said it almost in a whisper.

"You mean to tell me that your two-night husband got you pregnant? The same guy you are trying to get your marriage annulled from?" Violate only saw Shaina nod her head. "I'm guessing neither one of you thought to use a condom."

"I've been going through all the events that took place that weekend. Especially the two nights we spent together and I don't remember if we used one or not." Shaina placed her glass of water on the coffee table.

"Are you planning on telling him?" Violate asked while trying to read her cousin's expression. "Please, don't tell me you are considering…."

"I'm not going to sit here and say that the thought didn't cross my mind." Shaina said it, making herself feel guilty for even uttering the words. She wasn't a devoted Catholic like some members of her family but she was enough to know that she would never go through with such thing. "I have to tell him before heading to court. I also have to tell my lawyer this. I'm sure my lawyer would like to know all the details before the hearing."

"Well, your lawyer will be home any minute now." As Violate finished saying that the door to the garage opened. The sound of footsteps could be heard heading to the living room.

"I'm home." Aiacos smiled at his wife as he saw her sitting on the sofa. "Oh, Shaina, I didn't know you were here."

"Hi." Shaina greeted as she saw her cousin stand up.

"Hi love." Violate greeted her husband with a kiss on the lips. "I'll leave you and Shaina to talk while I'll go get Carlo."

Aiacos smiled at his wife and made his way to the chair across from the sofa. He figured something had happened or else both women wouldn't have looked so serious.

"So how is everything Shaina?" Aiacos asked as he took a seat on the chair.

"I'm pregnant and I wanted to know if it would affect the annulment?"

"Is your husband the father of the baby you are carrying?"

"Do you really need to ask?" Shaina asked sounding a bit annoyed.

"Shaina, you and Mr. Mahajan haven't been living together as man and wife." Aiacos said as he sat back on the chair. "So yes, I do need to ask. Is Mr. Mahajan the father of the child you are carrying?"

"Yes, there hasn't been anyone else since that trip to Vegas."

"You know that he might ask for a DNA test, correct?" Aiacos saw Shaina nod. "This pregnancy shouldn't be a problem with getting the annulment. I see that parental rights might come into play later on. Have you spoken to him?"

"Not yet."

"I suggest you get a hold of him. The sooner he knows, the sooner you can both come up with a plan to share custody. It would be good for the judge to see that the both of you will have the best interest in mind for the child."

Shaina looked at her lawyer sitting across from her. He was right, she had to take care of this sooner than later. They only had a week before they presented themselves in court. Shaina took her purse from the coffee table and pulled her phone out. She looked for Shaka's phone number and was about to text him when she heard Aiacos clear his throat. Shaina looked up at him with a questionable look on her face.

"I would suggest you call him and make sure to tell him that there will be no lawyers." Aiacos suggested.

"What if he decides that he wants his lawyer present?" Shaina questioned.

"Then tell him that we could meet in my office tomorrow at one o'clock. I'm pretty sure I can schedule in a meeting."

"Alright." Shaina said as she looked down at her phone. She swiped on the screen and placed the phone near her ear. It took a minute or so before she heard his voice come over the receiver. Shaina stood up and walked a couple of steps away from the living area. The call itself didn't take more than five minutes. Shaina returned to the sofa and placed her phone back on the table. She sat on the sofa and looked at her lawyer.

"I'm assuming that everything went well." he said.

"Yes, he has agreed to meet me tomorrow for lunch." She said took the glass of water from the coffee table.

"Let me know what it is that you both will decide to do. I would like to have that before we head to court next week."

"I will call you with the details." Shaina said.

"Daddy!" a little boy came running into the living room.

Shaina saw the interaction between the boy and his father. Her mind couldn't help bring up a lot of questions. She didn't let her mind get too ahead of herself. Her main concern in question was how would she handle being a single mom. It was a thought that she herself hadn't thought of much since she had found out. Sadly, it didn't take long for another thought to creep into to her mind. As Shaina looked at the scene in front of her; she couldn't help think that could very well be Shaka and their child. The mere thought of her and Shaka creating a life out of a mistake they were trying to erase made her stomach turn. Shaina covered her mouth as the feeling grew more and more. She quickly stood up and excused herself.

"Alright, dinner's almost ready so…" Violate saw her cousin pass by her and made her way to the nearest bathroom. She followed her cousin and knocked on the door. "Shaina? Sweetie, are you okay?"

The only response she got were the sounds Shaina was emitting for inside the bathroom. Violate waited outside the door until her cousin would come out. It didn't take long before she heard the water being turned off. She took a few steps back and waited. Inside Shaina had just finished rinsing her mouth. She looked herself in the mirror and couldn't help but want to hate herself even more. There was a lot of resentment that she was feeling towards herself. A lot of guilt as well. She only hoped that thing with Shaka tomorrow would go well.

 

 

**_ May 19th morning _ **

 

Junet entered the office and began turning on all the lights. She set her purse in the small office she shared with Phoebe, Aghora's wife, and proceeded to getting things ready for the day. She went into every single office and set the newspapers for the doctors that would read them. She made sure to add the right amount of coffee to the coffeemaker and water to both of the water reservoirs. Junet loved how quiet the office was before the doctors, the staff and the patients arrived. As she prepared the front desk for the day, the staff began to arrive. Phoebe walked in hand in hand with Aghora; which Junet greeted both with a smile. Misha, Shiva's wife, arrived by herself, she told Junet that Shiva had been called in by the hospital. Misha headed into Shiva's office to leave her things and then made her way to the break room.

As Junet pulled out Shiva's appointment schedule on the computer Mu, Shaka and Fudo stepped out of the elevator. She greeted them with a good morning and went back to her checking the schedule. Phoebe had already made her way to the reception desk with her cup of coffee in hand. The woman took her seat next to Junet's and began to check morning appointments. Krishna stepped out of the elevator and greeted the two women in the reception. Both Phoebe and Junet smiled at him as they saw their GYN doctor looked worse for wear.

"Well, it's obvious that he isn't sleeping much." Phoebe said as soon as she saw Krishna enter his office.

"I wonder how Kida is doing?" Junet asked.

"She just had a baby a month ago and the way Krishna looks, neither one of them is getting a good night's rest." Phoebe said as she took the clipboard where the morning patients had already signed in.

"Maybe I should offer to babysit that way they could both take some much needed rest." Junet suggested as she pulled three of the files.

"That's a good idea. Maybe I could get Misha to help me cook some meals for Kida." Phoebe said as she placed a file on the stand so the nurse knew it was ready. "By the way, your brother asked to see if his one o'clock appointment could be rescheduled."

"Really? Hmm…. He didn't mention anything when he came in." Junet said as she looked at the schedule. "I'll call Mr. Bradford, I'm sure he will be okay with coming in at two thirty."

Junet grabbed the phone and dialed the patient's phone number. It didn't take much to reschedule the appointment for that same day. The man was coming back to get back some results. Junet and Phoebe continued to work the front office. Junet had to move back several of Shiva's morning appointments. The hospital had taken two hours of his morning schedule and mostly all the patient's had decided to stay. Junet stood up from her seat and made her way to the break room. She found her brother preparing himself a tea and decided to do the same.

"Good morning." Junet greeted her brother with a kiss on the cheek. "I was able to reschedule your one o'clock appointment for the opening you had at two-thirty."

"Thank you." Shaka said as he took a sip of his tea. "I'll need for you to cancel my morning appoints for next Monday."

"Next Monday?" Junet asked a little curious. "Is there something going on that day?"

"I have a previous engagement and there is no way I could miss it." Shaka told his sister.

"I'll see what I can do. Is there anything else you need help with?" Junet asked her brother as she finished steeping the tea bag in the hot water.

"No, just make sure to reschedule all the appointments and apologize on my behalf." Shaka said as he took his cup of hot tea and headed back into his office.

Junet didn't lose sight of her brother until he closed his office door. Curiosity seemed to be getting the best of her. She knew that if she asked her brother what his previous engagement was, he would just end up shutting her out. She made a mental note to herself to ask Mu later on during the day. Junet heard the phones going off and noticed that Phoebe trying to get her attention. Junet rushed towards the front desk, trying not to spill her tea along the way. It was going to be another busy day in the practice and she only hoped it would go by fast.

 

 

**_ May 19th around 12:30pm _ **

 

In a cafe in the downtown area, the most unlikely married couple sat across from one another. They hadn't seen each other since the day they met up in Mu's apartment and the night they spend together after the dinner at Sazerac. Their form of communication was by text, brief conversations over the phone and through their lawyers. Shaina had made it a point to be there a little earlier. She had cleared her afternoon and had gone there straight after her morning meeting. As she sat there waiting, she contemplated on everything that she would tell him. Shaka on the other hand had been there on time. He had been a bit surprised when the hostess had told him that his party was already waiting inside. As the hostess led him to his table he noticed Shaina was setting her phone down on the table. As she turned to look at their direction he noticed a slight difference in her. He couldn't tell exactly what it was, but there was something different since their last meeting. The hostess smiled at the couple and left back to the podium, leaving the couple behind. The couple greeted one another with a kiss on the cheek. The kiss took merely a second, but it was enough for Shaina to want to linger a little longer. There was something about the way he smelled that made her want him; she was aroused. Surprised by the reaction she had, Shaina pulled away as quickly as she could and sat back in her chair. They sat in silence for a minute or two before the waitress came over and took their order. As Shaina waited for Shaka to arrive she had been thinking of the right way to tell him.

"Do you come here often?" Shaka asked trying to make small talk.

"Shaka, I'm pregnant." Shaina had settled for 'right now', the moment after the waitress had brought their drink to the table.

Shaka was caught so off guard that he had to place the cup of tea back on top of the saucer. He looked at the woman who was his wife and sat back on the chair.

"You're what?" Shaka asked placing his hands on his lap.

"I'm, uh, pregnant. And it's yours." Shaina felt unsure that she had made the right decision in telling him.

"Are you sure?" Shaka questioned.

Shaina knew what he meant. He wasn't asking her if she was indeed pregnant, but if it was his. She didn't blame him for asking as they weren't together, even if they were married.

"I hadn't slept with anyone since late February; I haven't slept with anyone since then except for you." She hated explaining her sex life. She noticed the way he was looking at her and for some reason it felt like she was being judged. "What can I say; it's been a very slow couple of months."

"What now?" Shaka gained his composure from the initial shock and took a sip of his hot tea. He wanted to know what her plans were going to be. Shaka wasn't sure how long she had been sitting on this information. He hoped that she hadn't decided on terminating the pregnancy.

The waitress came up to their table and placed their food on the table. It gave Shaina enough time to shake off whatever nerves she was feeling. The bigger question she had to ask herself was why she felt nervous in the first place. The look on his face suggested that he was still waiting for an answer.

"I'm having it." Shaina said as she looked down at her salad and took a hold of her fork. There was a slight change in the way she spoke now. As she looked up at him, she noticed a much more relaxed expression on his features. "I'm going to take care of it and support it. It's not going to be a problem for you."

"Seems like you have everything figured out?" Shaka was a bit upset to say the least. "Tell me Shaina would I be allowed to see  _our_  child or in your plans am I just considered the sperm donor?"

"Yes, if you wish to be a part in the child's life, I don't have anything against it." Shaina said as she picked on her food. She hadn't expected to hear him ask if she would let him see the child, yet she wasn't surprised. She wasn't too keen on having him be a part of her life, but she couldn't deny him wanting to see the child. "I do want to make it clear once more that there won't be a need for you to give child support. I have the means to support it and raise it on my own."

Shaka had to take a moment to contain the anger that was rising inside of him. The way she sounded made it seem like if indeed he was just a sperm donor. The woman was used to doing business, so she was handling him as a client and her terms as a signed contract.

"Shaina, this isn't a business deal. You are talking about a child, OUR child." Shaka was losing his patience. He had to take control of this conversation, of the situation or else he would lose it completely. "The child is as much my child as it is yours and I would like to support it as well."

"The child isn't born yet, so there will be time to look into you supporting this child or not." Shaina said trying to dismiss his statement about support the child. She had already made up her mind and he wasn't going to mess up with her plans. She placed her fork on the side of her plate and looked at the man. Shaina knew that he wasn't content with what she had just said and told herself that she had to be more flexible than that. "Please don't tell me you are already considering the idea of sharing custody. I just told you about the existence of this child."

"I was thinking more down the line of co-parenting. We would both decide what would be best for  _OUR_  child." Shaka said as he placed a little more emphasis on the word ' _our'_. It was their child, and he would continue to emphasize it until she would get that in her head.

Shaina leaned back in her chair and tried to contain herself. Things were never as easy as she thought they would be with the man sitting in front of her. She couldn't understand why he would want to co-parent a child with her. Most men would be happy to know that they wouldn't have to pay child support of an unwanted child. She was beginning to realize that maybe she had underestimated him.

"Fine, co-parenting it is then." Shaina said as she gave in to him once more. She had a feeling that there were a lot of things that would come up later on that eventually she would have to give in. She didn't like that feeling at all. Shaina grabbed her phone and texted her lawyer. Aiacos needed to know that both parties had come to an agreement.

"Have you had your first prenatal appointment already?" Shaka asked as he grabbed his phone from the table. He knew she wouldn't like what came next, but he didn't care in the least.

"I haven't had a prenatal appointment yet. I am scheduled to have the week of our court day." Shaina informed him still not knowing well were this was going.

"When and where?" Shaka asked as he looked away from his phone and waited for her to respond.

"Are you planning on attending my prenatal appointment?" Shaina asked feeling appalled with the idea of him wanting to attend.

"Yes! I would like to attend all of your prenatal appointment starting with your very first one." Shaka said as he continued to wait for the information he had asked for. "We might not be married for much long, but we are going to be together when it comes to  _our_  child."

"Fine!" Shaina said as she was beyond upset now. She had thought about being flexible, but she just didn't know how flexible she could actually be. Shaina grabbed her phone once again and began to text. "My first prenatal appointment is next week, two days after our court day. The appointment is at ten, please be there on time as I like to be there fifteen minutes before my scheduled time."

"I will have to move some things around, but I am sure to make it." Shaka entered the appointment into his calendar. He was about to finish when he received a text message. He opened it and saw that it was an address.

"That's the address to the doctor's office." Shaina said as she placed her phone back on the table. She wasn't sure she would be able to co-parent a child with the man that sat across from her. There was still a lot more they needed to discuss and she wasn't leaving the table until everything was settled. "We need to make a mockup of our plans for this child. I wouldn't like to end up in court fighting for custody."

"I couldn't agree more." Shaka said as he finished drinking the last of his tea. He had no idea how they would manage to co-parent their child. There was at least some satisfaction that she had given into his idea. He hadn't giving her much choice in the matter but it was all for the best.

Shaina and Shaka Mahajan sat across from each other and began making plans to co-parent their child. It would take them more than a day to come to agree on scheduling appointments and what would they do in the months ahead. In the end they would come to an agreement on what would work for them and what would benefit the child they would share. They had to be flexible with one another, neither wanted to end up in court fighting for custody of a child that wasn't born yet.

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

" _Now, did you think it all through?_

_All these things will catch up to you_

_And time can heal, but this won't"_

_\- Taylor Swift (Bad Blood)_

 

**Chapter 4**

 

**_ May 23rd 9am _ **

 

The courtroom was silent, everyone stood up as the judge made his way to the bench. As the people in court were asked to sit, the judge took the first folder and looked at the first case. The judge did a quick review of the case in question and then looked at the couple which was at the defendant table and the other at the plaintiff's table. Each of them had brought their lawyer and looked like they were ready to get on with their day. The judge placed the open file down and soon greeted the court before proceeding with reading the case number.

 

"We have here Shaka Mahajan versus Shaina Rinaldi to which have filed for an annulment." The judge said as he looked up at the four people sitting across from him. "It says here you have been married for six weeks now, is this correct?"

 

"Yes, your honor." Aioros stood before he had answered. "The couple has been married but has not lived together, your honor."

 

"Is there any evidence that you both knowingly entered this marriage?" Judge Ionia asked as he looked from one lawyer to the other.

 

"Your honor, the couple entered this marriage under the state of inebriation." Aiacos stood as well before stating the fact.

 

"Is there any proof to that matter?" The judge said leaned back on his chair waiting to see what they had brought to the court.

 

Aioros asked to approach the bench and gave the pictures of the wedding to the judge. He placed a tablet that had visual proof of the wedding ceremony. The judge looked at the video first before taking a look at the pictures. He looked at the video in its entirety and then one picture at a time. Ionia looked from one to another and saw the expression on the couple's face. Shame could be read in their faces. The judge placed the evidence aside and looked at his file.

"It says here that Mr. Mahajan and Ms. Rinaldi have conceived a child. Has the couple come to an agreement of custody?" Judge Ionia asked.

 

"Your honor, my client as well as Ms. Rinaldi have come to the agreement of co-parenting." Aioros said firmly.

 

The judge removed his glasses and looked from one person to the other. He was growing tired of this kind of nonsense in his courtroom. He dealt with a lot of couples getting divorced, but his patience was growing thin with couples like the one he had before him. This couple had taken the sanctity of marriage and made a mockery out of it.

 

"I've heard enough." Ionia leaned in and with his hand asked Aioros to stop before he continued anymore. "Before I allow either one of you out of this marriage, I am going to make sure both of you try everything first to make this marriage work."

 

"Your honor, is that really necessary? Both parties have agreed upon this annulment." Aiacos objected while Shaina looked at the judge hoping he would rule in favor of the annulment.

 

"I am sure each one of you has a respective home?" Judge Ionia asked ignoring Aiacos's objection.

 

"Yes, your honor." Shaina and Shaka spoke in unison.

 

"I would encourage both of you to find a house, one which you can both agree on to call home." The judge looked at the couple as he dismissed any attempt for objection. "You have two weeks to find a home and move in. I am denying the annulment of this marriage and placing this marriage under one year probation. For the next year, both of you will work to try to make this marriage work and see if co-parenting will actually work. To make sure you are working on this marriage, I am ordering you to weekly marital counseling. This will start the week after you have both have moved in together."

 

Shaina pulled on Aiacos's arm and asked for him to do something, anything to make the judge stop his ruling. Shaka on the other hand hadn't even attempted to let Aioros object to the judge. He knew where this was heading and there was no way on stopping it.

 

"As for you Mrs. Mahajan, I understand your job requires you to travel to the states and out of the country." the judge looked at how Shaina cringed when he had addressed her by her married name. It was obvious to him that she wasn't going to like what he was going to say next. "Make sure you make arrangements so that you will attend counseling. Now, Mrs. Mahajan as for your name, it will be legally be changed to your married name."

 

Both lawyers had already sat back down and were taking note of all that the judge was saying. The couple would need to have proof turned into the court so neither one of them would fall in contempt with the court.

 

"Mr. and Mrs. Mahajan please stand." Ionia asked both parties. "By the power invested in me, I now pronounce you, husband and wife."

 

With that being said, the judge hit his gavel on the sound block enforcing his ruling. The bailiff soon called the next case and both parties exited the court. Outside the courthouse each party stood away from one another and began to discuss the ruling. Each lawyer spoke to their client advising them on what to do next.

 

"I thought this would be a simple annulment, not this." Shaina was upset and was trying hard not to make a scene.

 

"Clearly the judge wanted to make an example out of both of you. It's only a year Shaina." Aiacos tried to make the situation easier. He gained a look of anger which caught him by surprise. The fact that his wife and Shaina could muster the same look without looking much alike was scary.

 

"Is there any way we can get this overturned?" Shaina asked her lawyer as she noticed that Shaka was speaking to his lawyer as well.

 

"We can try, but I don't think we will manage to get very far. Judge Ionia is well respected and I don't see anyone trying to overturn his verdict." Aiacos said as he looked at the woman in front of him. He had known Shaina for a long time and he highly doubted that she would take this marriage easily. "It's just for a year, Shaina. Try and get along with one another. After the baby is born you will have a few months to see if co-parenting will be for both of you."

 

Shaina remained quiet and thought about what her lawyer was saying. There was no way she was going to make things work with a man like Shaka. The only way they had gotten along was when they had been completely drunk. She felt like throwing a hissy fit and stomping off in anger, but she was too upset to even do that.

 

"It's just for a year." Shaina said trying to convince herself. It definitely wasn't working and all it was doing was adding more to her anger.

 

Shaka, who had been standing several feet away, approached his wife and her lawyer. He had noticed the look Shaina had given her lawyer and knew that she hadn't been pleased with the verdict. He hadn't been too happy himself, but there wasn't much he could do. Aioros had advised him that they should just go through the entire year.

 

"Shaina, may I have a word?" Shaka asked as the woman in front of him eyed him as well as she did her lawyer. She took a couple of steps towards him. "I think it's best if we begin looking for a house bright and early tomorrow. I will be able to…"

 

"I can't tomorrow, I will be working all day and I won't be able to leave early." Shaina cut him off. She wasn't going to let him take over, let alone control the situation. She needed some space to collect her thoughts and seeing him tomorrow would be too soon. So she lied, at least to buy herself some time. "I can easily take the day after tomorrow off, seeing as you have decided to accompany me to my appointment."

 

"I don't know if I can clear my entire day after such short notice." Shaka noticed what Shaina was trying to do.

 

"It will be the only day I can clear. The day after that I will be heading out of town again and I won't be back for a couple of days." Shaina tried not to give him any choice in the matter. It was going to be her way or the high way in this situation. "I will contact a realtor today and have them line up some properties that will fill our needs. House or apartment, it's easier for us to have something in mind and not run around the city. A house should be best."

 

"A house?" Shaka didn't know what to say. Shaina was setting all the rules in how they would do things. He had a feeling that this might be the way things would be between them for the next year. "I know a realtor; she is a friend of the family and will be able to find what we need."

 

"Fine, we can use your realtor friend. The sooner we get the house, the sooner the year will be over." Shaina decided to give into the realtor thing, but only that. She didn't have it in here to fight him for control at that moment, not entirely. "I'll see you at the appointment."

 

Shaina turned on her heel and headed towards the street where a black car was already waiting for her. Meanwhile Shaka, Aiacos and Aioros stayed behind. They all looked as the driver of the car held the door open for her. Shaina got in the car and soon after the driver closed the door and went to get back into the driver's side. It didn't take long after that, that the car went on its way, leaving the three men standing there. Aiacos and Aioros shook hands and said their farewell. They had both seen each other around court and it wouldn't be the last time they would meet. As Aiacos shook Shaka's hand he couldn't help but feel for the man. It would be a long year for Shaka and Shaina.

 

"I wish you good luck, the Rinaldi women are a little hard to handle." Aiacos said with a smile on his face. He gained a questionable look on from the other man. "Shaina and my wife are cousins."

 

"You don't say." Shaka half smiled as he answered.

 

"It was nice meeting you Mr. Mahajan, I'm pretty sure we will see each other under a more casual situation." Aiacos said with a small smile on his face.

 

"It was nice meeting you as well." With that being said, Shaka saw the other man in the same direction he would soon be taking.

 

 

 

**_ May 23rd 3pm _ **

 

Geist stood in front of one of the round tables that they used to set up just like it would be in the weddings. She moved her head to the left and then to the right. There was something that just didn't look right with how she had decorated the table. She went up to it and began moving things around then stepped back once more. Geist shook her head and sighed in defeat. There was something completely off with how she was setting the table. She removed the long stem candles and placed the tea candles. Once again she stepped back and looked at the table setting.

 

"Let's try this with no candles." She said to her assistant and removed all the candles and placed them on the small cart. "Let's see if we have something different in storage."

 

The assistant left the cart back where it was and left to go in search of something different to complement the table setting. Geist looked at the table and she just couldn't figure out what was wrong with her set up. Misty entered the room and walked up to his co-worker. He stood next to her and looked at what she was looking at.

 

"What are we looking at?" Misty asked without turning to look at her.

 

"My setting is completely off and I can't figure out what it is." Geist said looking at her friend. "I've tried several types of candles and now I've removed the candles, but nothing seems to work."

 

"Try rearranging the flowers and remove the baby's breath. You know that's a filler flower." Misty said as he made a face.

 

"I know it's a filler flower, but the bride loves it and it's driving me crazy." Geist said with an exasperated sigh. "She wants that flower EVERYWHERE."

 

"Is it your bride that is having her wedding at the vineyard?" Misty asked, receiving a nod as a response. "Okay, I'll help you out only if you help me out with my library bride."

 

"Deal." Geist said without hesitation. "Is that what brings you to my neck of the woods?"

 

"Not exactly; I found something that might interest you." Misty said as he took out his phone from his back pocket. Once he found what he was looking for he showed it to his friend. "I was doing my research for a bride that wants to do her wedding in Vegas. She gave me the name of two wedding chapels that she couldn't make up her mind on."

 

"So what did you find?" Geist asked still looking at her table setting.

 

"I was looking at the wedding videos the chapel post on their site and I found something interesting." Misty said in his sing song tone.

 

"Well show me then." Geist went up to her friend and stood close to him to look at his phone.

 

The video took a couple of seconds to buffer and then a blurry scene came into view. As Geist looked at the image that was clearing her smile began to fade. There in that video was Shaina holding hands with none other than Shaka. Both were drunk and slurring their vows in front of an Elvis impersonator. As soon as they had said their 'I Do's', they began to make out as their wedding kiss. They both had their hands all over one another. Geist was upset at what she was seeing but at the same time she knew something had been going on between those two. She finished watching the wedding video and gave the phone back to Misty.

 

"Well, that was interesting." Geist said while looking at her friend. She felt short for words as had just seen her sister's wedding video. "I knew something was going on with her, I just never thought it would be something like this.”

 

"I never pictured your sister the type that would get married in Vegas." Misty placed his phone back in the back pocket of his pants pocket. "Come to think about it, I never thought she would be the marrying kind."

 

"Misty..." Geist warned.

 

"I'm not saying it in a bad way. It's just that between you two, I always thought that you might be the first to get married." Misty walked towards the table and began to remove as much of the baby's breath flower from the flower arrangement. "And before you start throwing a hissy fit at me; I always thought you would end up getting married to the man that would get you pregnant."

 

"Misty, you really are a bitch sometimes." Geist said as she placed all he had removed in a cart.

 

"Half a bitch or a full blown bitch?" Misty asked with the most serious look on his face that he could muster.

 

"Sweetheart, I don't think we would be friends if you were a full blown bitch." Geist had placed a hand on the man's shoulder and tried to give him her best serious look, before she started laughing.

 

"Are you going to ask her why she didn't tell you?" Misty asked as they finished moving around the table setting.

 

"I'll talk to her tonight when I go to her house."

 

"Surprise visit?" Misty asked as they both stepped back and looked at the table setting.

 

"Oh it will be a surprise visit alright." Geist said as she started to walk around the table. "I think this ended up looking better than I had anticipated."

 

"I think you should just take the pictures and show them to her. If she decides on that hideous mess she wants then that is up to her." Misty said as he went up to one of the tables and picked the camera up. "This setting looks really good."

 

"Alright, let's finish taking the pictures, that way I could go help you with your little problem."

 

Geist took a hold of the camera and began to take pictures of the table setting while Misty stood back and watched. Geist went around the table taking several shots until she felt like it was enough. There was still much to do and Geist wanted to finish her day soon. Her sister had a lot of explaining to do.

 

 

 

**_ May 23rd 8pm _ **

 

Shaina peeked through the peep hole of her front door to see who was ringing her doorbell with such urgency. She opened her door and noticed that her sister still had her finger on the doorbell button even after she had heard the door open. Geist smiled at her sister and walked right passed her, without much say. Shaina just shook her head and locked her door and when she turned to greet her sister she noticed that she was nowhere to be found. Shaina heard a door down the hall being closed and was easy to figure out where Geist had gone off to. Shaina shook her head and made her way to the kitchen. She took out a bottle of sparkling water from the refrigerator and two glasses from the one of the top cabinet. Shaina took her time in pouring the liquid in each glass and waited for her sister to come to the kitchen.

 

"Sorry, I just couldn't hold it anymore." Geist said as she walked into the kitchen and took her glass of sparkling water.

 

"I figured as much." Shaina said with a smile on her face as she took her glass of sparkling water. "So, what brings you to my neck of the woods?"

 

"Oh, I just thought I would come and visit you." Geist said as she followed her sister into the living room. She had noticed the demeanor in her sister and decided that she would point it out to her. "You look exhausted. What have you been up to?"

 

"Just work. Today was not what I had expected. It was one of those days that you have everything planned and then it all goes to hell. How are things with you?"

 

"Same… I was having trouble with a table setting." Geist said as she took a seat in the plush sofa. She placed her purse on the coffee table and took out her phone. "Misty ended up helping me before I redid the entire thing. Here let me show you some of the pictures that I sent to the bride."

 

Geist tapped on her phone and swiped before showing the pictures to Shaina. Shaina took the phone and looked at all the pics of the table setting. The setting was simply done, but it looked very elegant at the same time. She smiled and gave her sister her phone back.

 

"It's very lovely. Did the bride like the setting?" Shaina said interested in what her sister was telling her. She liked hearing her sister talk about her work.

 

"She did, although she still wanted me to add baby's breath on the table. After spending a couple of minutes convincing her of how it wouldn't go with the arrangement, she finally agreed that I was right and that that flower be put somewhere else." Geist said as she took her phone and went on to look for something else so her sister would see. "In exchange for Misty helping me, I ended up helping him with one of his brides."

 

"Well, that's good at least everything got done." Shaina said as she noticed that her sister was on her phone. She kept on seeing her sister swipe on the screen over and over. "Can't find what you are looking for?"

 

"I just found it. It's something that I wanted to show you before we change the conversation." Geist gave her sister the phone again and told her to tap on it so the video could play. "Misty was showing me this before we rearranged the table setting."

 

Shaina took the phone and tapped on the screen for it to play. Once the blurry image cleared, Shaina's smile fell as she watched what was playing on the phone. The color on her skin drained and she covered her gaped mouth with her hand. She was embarrassed at seeing her wedding ceremony playing on the phone. Shaina looked at her sister and then back at the phone. She was horrified that someone else had found her wedding video.

 

"Misty never pictured you being a bride, let alone a Vegas bride." Geist said while looking at her twin. She felt angry once more as she now looked at her sister. She just couldn't imagine that Shaina had left her in the dark of something so important. "I got to say; at least I would have thought I would be invited to your wedding. Seeing as we are sisters, twins at that."

 

"How did you..." Shaina tried to speak but she was too busy fighting the nausea.

 

"Misty has a Vegas bride and she had two options for the chapel. Weird how small the world really is, huh?" Geist said as she took the phone that her sister was handing her. "Why didn't you tell me?"

 

"I couldn't." It was all Shaina could say.

 

"Shaina I am your twin sister. Do you honestly think I would think badly about this, about you marrying Junet's brother?" Geist said as she placed the phone on the couch. "It's sad that you didn't come to me and tell me that this had happened when we went to Vegas. I think what hurts the most is that you didn't tell me and we tell each other everything."

 

"I just couldn't. This isn't something that I could easily tell anyone."

 

"Shaina, I asked you several times if you liked him. I asked you several times if you would ever sleep with him. Your answer to me was always a no. Not just a no, it was always a hell no." Geist said with a bit of anger in her voice. "I would have never judged you. I am pretty sure the man is not up to your standards, but what the hell. Why the hell did you marry him when you could have just fucked him?"

 

"I was drunk." Shaina spoke up. "We were all three sheets to the wind that night and yet everyone turned out fine except for me. Where were you? You were supposed to be my drinking buddy."

 

"Don't you dare pin your mistake on me, Shaina Rinaldi or should I say Shaina Mahajan." Geist bit back. There was no way she was taking the fall for her sister's mistakes. She was going to let her sister have it and there was nothing that was going to stop her. "That's right; I said it, Shaina Mahajan, because that is your name now, MAHAJAN."

 

"Shut up Geist!" By now both women were riled up and at the brink at yelling at one another. "I am a Rinaldi; I will never be MAHAJAN, understood."

 

It didn't take long before Shaina covered her mouth and ran towards the bathroom. Geist followed her all the way. She wasn't going to be the one giving in into their argument. As Geist reached the bathroom, the door was wide opened and Shaina kneeling in front of the toilet. Shaina emptied her stomach completely. Geist hurried to her side and pulled her sister's hair back. Shaina emptied her stomach several times before she actually stood up from the cold floor. Geist held her sister's hair as splashed her face and rinsed her mouth.

 

"Shaina…" Geist said in a low voice as her sister looked at her from the mirror. "Are you…"

 

"Yes, I am." Shaina said as she fixed her hair.

 

"Is it his?" Geist asked even though she already knew the answer.

 

"Unfortunately, yes, it is his." Shaina said as she stepped out of the bathroom.

 

Geist followed her sister back into the living room and sat with her on the sofa. She didn't know where to start or what to say. She now felt bad for overreacting about Shaina's wedding in Vegas. Shaina on the other hand noticed that her sister didn't know what to say. She did the best she could at the time and placed her hand on top of hers.

 

"We were both extremely drunk as you saw on the video. Somehow we ended up in that chapel and we got married. We had sex that night and then the next. We were both very drunk on both nights." Shaina said as her sister finally looked at her. "I found out I was pregnant a week ago. I was well overdue on my period and if it wasn't for someone at work asking me for a tampon, I wouldn't have thought about it."

 

"So all this time you've been married to him." Geist stated the fact, only to gain a nod in response. She had so many questions that she doubted Shaina would answer them all. "Why didn't you both just tell us? Why didn't you just get a divorce?"

 

"I told him the morning after our first night as man and wife, that I wanted an annulment. It wasn't easy but I made him see things my way." Shaina said with a sad smile on her lips. She now thought that it might have been better to let them know that day, but it was too later. Now even family members would find out and that scared her. "Our hearing was today and we were denied the annulment. The judge wants us to live as a married couple and work together co-parenting this baby, before we even get divorced. Our marriage is under probation, sort-of-speaking."

 

"So what are you going to do now?" Geist asked looking at how calm her sister was being.

 

"He declared us husband and wife once more. We have to find a house to live in and once we move in together, we will have marriage counseling." Shaina said as she sat back on the sofa. "I am stuck being that man's wife for an entire year. Even after a year when we get divorced, I will still be tied to him."

 

There it was, the moment Geist knew that Shaina feared the most, to be directly joined to someone that she didn't care for. It was one thing that her sister always feared. It wasn't so much that she was having a child; it was who the child's father would be that was the problem. Shaina was always vague when it came to getting married. She had witnessed many arguments that took place between their father and mother. Even when they divorced, their parents had argued and fought many times and the majority of the time Shaina had been witness to it all. Geist had a feeling that that was the reason why Shaina didn't want to be joined to anyone.

 

"Have you told Dad about all this?" Geist asked.

 

"No…" Shaina answered as she closed her eyes and thought of what she had to do. "I was thinking that maybe I should invite him to dinner and tell him there."

 

"Mani is going to flip." Geist said imagining what Manigoldo's reaction would be when he would find out. There brother had always been over protective of them, a little too much for their liking.

 

"Tell me about it." Shaina took her glass of sparkling water and took a sip. Shaina noticed that little smile on her sister's lips and dreaded what came next. She had to ask. "What?"

 

"You did sleep with him that night we all went to Sazerac?" Geist asked even though she already imagined what her sister's answer would be.

 

"Yes, we did sleep together." Shaina answered in a calm manner.

 

"I thought so. If I didn't know about you two ending up in bed, in Vegas, that night in Sazerac would have been the night." Geist stated as she smiled at her sister. She noticed a slight sadness in her eyes and couldn't help feel for her. "It will all turn up fine. You will have a beautiful baby and I'll be here to support you."

 

Geist leaned forward and hugged her sister. She was no longer mad at her and wanted her to feel the love and support she would give her. Things one way or another would turn up fine. She was a little surprised that her sister hadn't used any protection, but that didn't matter anymore. Her sister was going to become a mommy and she needed all the support. A lot of drama was heading Shaina's way and Geist would stand by her sister's side no matter what. There was one thing that Geist knew for certain in all this; Shaina's baby was going to be loved.

 

 

 

**_ May 24th 7pm _ **

 

"Alright, everyone last three minutes!" The class instructor yelled out.

 

Marin and Junet, along with the rest of the class, cycled as fast as they could on the spinning bikes. Marin kept on eyeing Junet every once in a while to see how well she was holding up. The three minutes felt like an eternity. By the time the cool down came, Marin was ready to leave the room. As the instructor thanked her class, Marin and Junet got off their bike slowly. Marin's legs trembled and she tried to hold herself up by holding on to the bike. Junet on the other hand was trying to keep her balance as she took a couple of steps towards her friend.

 

"So, what did you think of the class?" Junet said with a bright smile on her face.

"As soon as I am able to walk, I promise you Junet, I will kill you." Marin said trying to take a couple of steps towards her friend. "Why do you do this to me? Couldn't you bring Shaina or Geist with you instead?"

 

"Oh come on! It wasn't that bad." Junet said taking her friend's hand. "Geist was busy with one of the brides that decided to do a spray tan. Shaina was too tired; she said she was going to bed early."

 

"Is she okay?" Marin asked as she took Junet's hand and took a couple of more steps.

 

"Yeah! She said she was tired and wanted to sleep." Junet said as she led her friend out to the locker room. "I'm guessing she had one of those in and out trips she sometimes does."

The girls made their way into the locker room and headed to the locker that each one had placed their things in. There were still several showers that were open so the girls hurried and each got into their individual stall. Junet finished drying herself before stepping out of the shower. Marin was already half dressed and was busy combing her hair.

 

"I think Shaka might be seeing someone." Junet said as she finished putting her bra on.

 

"Really? That's a good thing, right?" Marin said as she pulling up her hair into a messy pony tail.

 

"Yes, it is. He hasn't dated anyone since he broke it off with…" Junet tried to think of the name of the woman her brother had last dated. "Gosh, what was her name?"

 

"So, why do you think that he is going out with someone?" Marin asked as she finished getting dressed.

 

"Oh... a week ago he canceled one of his appointments because he had to do a late lunch. Then he asked if we could reschedule all his Monday morning appointments because he had something he couldn't reschedule." Junet said while she finished putting on her shirt.

 

"All this makes you think he is going out with someone?" Marin asked as she looked at her friend.

 

"I know, but I keep hoping he is. It would be nice to see him happy with someone." Junet said as she gathered her dirty clothes.

 

"Maybe he just wants to be single. If memory serves me well, you have even said he is a little too  _'special'_  when it comes to any type of relationships." Marin said grabbing her bag. "Plus, I think Geist and Shaina said he's a stick in the mud."

 

"Yeah, I know the twins say that, but he is really a great guy." Junet said as she too grabbed her bag from the bench. "Mayura!"

 

"Who?" Marin asked as they both headed out of the locker room.

 

"That's the name of the woman that Shaka dated last. It was driving me crazy that I couldn't remember her name." Junet said. "She was very attractive. Sadly, I think her and Shaka were too much alike."

 

Marin just looked at her friend and nodded. She had no idea who Junet was talking about and didn't care much to know anything about Shaka's dating life. Marin wondered how was it that Shaka and Junet were even siblings, let alone related. They were both so opposite from one another. Marin and Junet got into the elevator and went down a couple of floors. As they exited the elevator Marin began to look inside her bag for her wallet. She was sure that she had placed it in one of the outside pockets. She stopped just a couple of steps away from the elevator and started going through her bag.

 

"Marin!"

 

Marin stopped what she was doing and paused for a moment. She could recognize that voice anywhere. She looked up only to see a man walking towards her. He stopped right in front of her, displaying a smile she considered beautiful. She hadn't seen him since they had broken up four years ago. Marin smiled and hoped that she looked half as presentable as she thought she did.

 

"Oh my gosh, Aioria! Long time no see." Marin smiled brightly. "How long has it been since we last saw each other?"

 

"Too long, I would say." Aioria said smiling at her. "You look amazing."

 

"Thank you." Marin said trying to see if she could catch her image on any of the mirrors that hung around. "Come here often?"

 

"I just joined a week or so ago. Just around the same time I moved back from Greece."

 

"Wow! How's your brother?" Marin asked.

 

"He's doing well. Dad urged him to join the firm; he's been here all this time." Aioria said as he continued to look at Marin. Four years without seeing her and she looked even better than he remembered. "And who might this be?"

 

"Oh!" Marin blushed as she noticed that Junet was standing right next to her. "This is Junet; Junet this is Aioria."

 

"Hello!" Junet said as she eyed the man from head to toe. He was quite attractive, yet she wondered why she had never heard of this man that stood in front of her. "I'll just let you two catch up. I'll call you later Marin."

 

The couple stood there watching as Junet went out the main entrance. Marin wished that her friend had told her that it was time for them to leave. Being around Aioria wasn't the best moment for her. First of all, she knew she didn't look her best right at that very moment. Secondly, she wasn't ready to start anything new with anyone, even if it was just a conversation with her ex. Last but not least, if she didn't hurry home, her dirty clothes would most likely stink up her bag. Marin looked at the man and had to admit it to herself; the man still looked as handsome as she remembered.

 

"I think I better go as well." Marin said giving him an apologetic smile. "I need to do some things before I head home."

 

"I didn't mean to keep you longer. How about you give me your number and we'll catch up later?" Aioria asked.

 

"Sure…" Marin tried to sound genuine. "You have your phone with you?"

 

"Yeah, just give me a second." Aioria said as he pulled out his phone from his side pocket. He opened the contact list on his phone and added the new contact. "It was great seeing you."

 

"It was nice seeing you as well." Marin said.

 

"I'll call you sometime; maybe we could grab a drink or something."

 

"That would be nice." was all Marin could say as he hugged her goodbye.

 

After the hug Marin couldn't get out of there fast enough. She had to remind herself why they had broken up all those years ago. Sadly, at that moment, she couldn't even remember what time it was.

 

 

 

**_ May 25th 10:30am _ **

 

Shaina sat on the examining table wearing only a hospital gown. Shaka sat on one of the two chairs of the examining room. They've been waiting for over ten minutes since the nurse left her so she could change into the gown. Shaina looked at her feet and mentally patted herself on the back for having thrown in a pair of socks in her purse. Her feet would always get cold when she would go to her doctor's office. Shaina looked at her watch, then at the ceiling, then at the posters that hung on the wall.

 

' _Yes, this is definitely more uncomfortable than me getting undressed in front of him.'_ Shaina thought as she glanced at her husband.

 

Shaka on the other hand had tried to keep himself busy by looking up some things on his phone. Every once in a while he would glance up at the door to see if the doctor would come in. Shaka began texting the realtor to see where exactly they would meet, to go see the first house. It didn't take long to receive a response from the realtor. She already had several properties lined up for them to see that day. A light knock on the door caught the attention of the couple that had been sitting in complete silence. A tall man in his late forties entered the room followed by a nurse slightly older than Shaina.

 

"Good Morning." Dr. Lendwell said with the smile.

 

"Good Morning." Shaina said giving the best smile she could muster.

 

"I am Doctor Rob Lendwell." The doctor directed his attention to the man that was sitting on one of the chairs that was in the exam room. Both men shook hands as they introduced each other. The doctor turned his attention to Shaina's chart and then to Shaina. "You are here today because you are pregnant. Is that correct?"

 

"Yes." Shaina answered.

 

"Well, your pregnancy test here in the office came back to us positive. I would still like for you to get an ultrasound." The doctor said as he placed Shaina's chart on the counter. "First, we will do an examination. I will be checking to see if everything is as it should be"

 

Shaina looked at the doctor, at the nurse and lastly at her now husband. For a split second she felt like she was part of an exhibition. Slowly, she laid back on the examining table and scooted her bottom close to the edge of the table. The doctor helped her place her feet on the stirrups and for the paper cover to stay in place. Shaina got as comfortable as she could on the exam table, and the doctor began his examination.

 

Shaina looked up at the ceiling and tried to keep herself calm. The doctor finished examining her breast and proceeded to doing the vaginal examination. Shaina relaxed as the next part of the examination wasn't the most pleasant thing. The doctor asked a couple of questions as he examined Shaina's cervix. Shaina answered as best as she could under the circumstances. Once the doctor finished his examination he proceeded on doing a vaginal ultrasound. Shaka stood up from where he was sitting and stood next to the examining table. It took several seconds for the doctor to find the best position but once he did, it came clear on the screen.

 

"There it is." The doctor said as he pressed a bit on Shaina's pelvis. "If you see that little flicker right there, that is the baby's heart."

 

Shaina just kept looking at the ceiling and as she heard the doctor she closed her eyes. There were so many emotions that she was feeling at that moment. The fact that the only thing she ate that morning was a banana in the taxi cab because she couldn't keep anything down. The fact that she was now married and her husband stood next to the exam table. The most important fact of all was that she was officially going to be a mother and she couldn't even face the truth that was being displayed on a screen. This wasn't a joyous moment for her like any other woman. She was literally going to make herself sick to her stomach. Shaina felt a hand touch her arm and she quickly opened her eyes. Shaka was looking down at her with concern.

 

"Shaina" He said in a low voice.

 

"I'm okay." It was all Shaina could say as she saw how he directed his attention back to the screen. Shaina noticed that the doctor also had a concerned look on his face.

 

Shaina let a breath out and faced the screen that was on the right side of the room. There in black and white was the figure of the small baby she was carrying in her womb. Shaina cocked her head to the left and tried to make sense at what she was looking at. The doctor was talking about where the baby's body was and his head and how it was positioned. All Shaina could see was a little figure that closely resembled a gummy bear.

 

' _Is it supposed to look like a gummy bear?'_ she thought to herself.

 

"I guess you could say it does resemble a gummy bear." The doctor laughed at what his patient had said.

 

"Sorry, I didn't mean to say that out loud." Shaina said blushing all the way to the root of her hair.

 

"By the information you provided and the measurement I just made. It looks like we are on the right track." The doctor said as he took the last picture. As the pictures printed the doctor took out the ultrasound wand and disposed of the condom. "You heard the heart, the baby sounds healthy and he's doing very well. I will need to see you back in four weeks."

 

"Doctor, I have some concerns with my wife's work. She tends to travel quite frequently." Shaka spoke up.

 

"If there is any type of discomfort that doesn't feel normal to her or any spotting she can always come in. In case it's after office hours or out of town, she should go to the hospital." The doctor said as he removed his gloves. "Before you go, there will be some blood work that will be done. Try to eat healthy and continue rest. The nurse will give you information on things that might help with the morning sickness. We will step out, that way you will get ready. Shaina it was a pleasure seeing you again. Mr. Mahajan, it was pleasure."

 

The doctor closed the door behind him as he spoke to the nurse. It didn't take long for Shaina to get dressed. She hadn't dressed this quickly, since the day her aunt almost caught her having sex with one of Angelo's friends. Shaina pulled her shirt down as she blindly put her shoes back on. In her mind, Shaka had seen enough of her for one day. There was a knock at the door and the nurse entered. She noticed that Shaina was ready and directed her to where they would draw blood. Shaina and Shaka followed the nurse. It didn't take long after that for them to draw blood and fill the tubes that needed to be filled. After they were done the nurse reminded them that the doctor wanted to see her in four weeks. The short woman led them to the front desk and left them so they would schedule their next prenatal visit.

 

Shaina and Shaka stood outside the building on the sidewalk. It was getting close to meeting with their realtor. They were supposed to meet her in the house that they were going to see. Shaina thought about stopping by a cafe or coffee shop to buy something to settle her stomach. She needed to eat something before she began to get nauseous again. Shaina approached the side of the street and hailed a cab.

 

"I guess I'll see you in an hour or so." Shaina said as she raised her hand, hoping that a taxi would stop.

 

"Where are you heading?" Shaka asked as he saw the cab coming to a stop.

 

"I was thinking of getting something quick to eat." Shaina made a face as she felt her stomach turn.

 

"I brought my car, we could go together." Shaka noticed that Shaina wasn't looking too well.

 

"That's not necessary; I can manage on my own." Shaina was beginning to sound like a broken record. She knew this, yet she didn't feel like stopping herself from saying it.

 

"I'm not suggesting, I'm telling you. It's best for us to go together," Shaka said knowing well they were about start arguing once more.

 

Shaina didn't have time to give him an answer as she walked up to the closest trash bin and emptied her stomach. Without any word Shaina walked back into the building and made her way to the nearest restroom. Shaka waited in the hallway for Shaina to come out of the restroom. He wondered how much she would be able to hold down once she ate.

 

 

**_ May 25th 4pm _ **

 

Shaina and Shaka got out of the car as they noticed that the realtor was already waiting for them by the front door of the house that they were going to see next. The realtor had already set the house up for the viewing that day. Shaina and Shaka entered the house and were impressed by how open it felt. The house had natural warm tones in the walls, flooring and including the furniture. The light fixture that hung in the foyer where they stood was modern. It fit well with the tones and the furniture.

 

"This is the property that I mentioned to you in the previous house we saw. The house is a little over five thousand nine hundred square feet. The house is a two story home; it has five bedrooms and four and a half bathrooms." the realtor said as she followed the couple into the living room. "The house is an open floor layout and you can obviously see why. Now if you could please follow me into the kitchen."

 

The realtor went through all the features of the kitchen, from the new stainless steel appliances to pointing out the custom made cabinetry and the granite counter top. The realtor let them know that the appliances would remain in the house. Shaina looked at the room and just listened to what the realtor was saying. She loved to cook whenever she had a day off or needed to relax, but she wasn't going to act upon her like for the kitchen. She did really like everything that kitchen had to offer, yet she acted indifferent towards it.

 

"So what do you think Shaina." the realtor asked.

 

"I like the view, but I will be honest, I don't do much cooking. Most likely I'll have to keep the housekeeper I have right now." Shaina said giving the room a once look over.

 

Shaka and the realtor looked at her like if there was something wrong with her. The realtor knew that most people would kill for a kitchen like the one she was showing her. It was every cook and non-cook's dream to have such a kitchen. The realtor turned to look at the man she knew for some time and gave him a sympathetic smile.

 

"The dining room is just a couple of feet away and filled with beautiful natural light. If you follow me back to the living room I will show you some other features." The realtor walked ahead leading the couple towards the left part of the house. "As you could see, the living room has an additional seating area. It's more of an informal living area; the room has a fireplace just like the formal living room. It also has a bar for entertaining family and friends."

 

The realtor continued to show them the first floor. It consisted of two bedrooms and one and a half bathroom. One of the bedrooms was used as a study that contained ceiling to floor bookshelves filled with all types of books. The smaller of the two bedrooms was used more like a guest room. It had a view to the garden. The realtor took them upstairs where they saw the three bedrooms that remained to be seen. The first two bedrooms were the same size and had a jack and jill bathroom. The realtor pointed out that that would be ideal for children. The bathroom had a bathtub and the toilet enclosed with its own door.

 

The realtor continued the tour and led the couple to the master suite. The room was spacious and had a beautiful view of the ocean. The bathroom was spacious as well, it had an enclosed toilet, and the shower was separate from the tub. The bedroom had a huge walk-in closets which was a big plus for any couple. It also had a sliding door as part of the floor to ceiling windows. They led to a small balcony which the realtor told them was a beautiful spot to enjoy the sunset.

 

Shaka and Shaina took turns asking questions about the house. After answering several of the questions the couple had, the realtor left them to explore the house on their own. The couple went their separate ways and looked at the second floor on their own. Neither one thought about how their family would grow in that house. Shaina was busy thinking how she would end up asking him if she could stay with the master bedroom. In all three houses she had asked herself that. Shaka on the other hand thought about their financial situation and if they could both afford it. They hadn't talked about how their married life would be when it came to that.

 

The couple made their way back to the first floor and began exploring. Shaina didn't do much exploring as she just walked through the open sliding door and stepped outside. She walked across the patio and stood on the top step that led towards the beach. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the light breeze. The day was partly cloudy and not much sun was hitting at that time.

 

' _Why in the world are we even buying a house? We're just going to be fighting for it a year from now.'_  She thought to herself.

 

Shaina felt someone approach her and stand on her right side. She turned and looked up at the man by her side. They looked at one another and remained silent as they both turned their attention back to the view in front of them.

 

"What do you think of this one?" Shaka asked

 

"Well, I didn't throw up like in the other two, so I guess that's a good sign" Shaina said with a smirk on her face.

 

"Are you feeling better?" Shaka asked as his smile faded. He looked at her once more with concern.

 

"Yes, for the time being." Shaina said as she turned to look at him. "You know that by this time next year we will just be fighting for whoever keeps the house."

 

"I really hope not." Shaka said. "Shaina, I really think…"

 

"So what's it going to be?" The realtor didn't mean to interrupt but there were still several other houses to see.

 

"We're done looking for the day. I think my wife had enough for today." Shaka gave his answer.

 

"Do you want to schedule for another day? I know you are in a hurry to buy."

 

"That won't be necessary. We'll take it." Shaina said as she headed back into the house.

 

"All right, let's get started with the paperwork." the realtor said with a smile on her face. She followed the couple back inside the house and slid the door shut.

 

Shaka wasn't able to say anything in the matter as once again Shaina had decided something for them. This wasn't what he was used to and it only made him reconsider what he was going to say to her a moment ago. He couldn't see how they would make things work between them.

 

 

**_ May 25th 8:30pm _ **

 

Shaka drank from the glass of water the waiter had just refilled. He placed the glass back in its place and looked at the people that were sitting around the table with him. His father had remained quiet throughout the entire dinner. His mother and Dadi had been going from complete shocked expressions, to smiling, all within the entire explanation. Shaka had told them about Vegas and about the annulment hearing. He had left out the part about how he and his wife being all right, if all the together before their hearing. That wasn't something they needed to know.

 

"Marriage is a sacred vow, Shaka. I'm surprised that in a complete state of inebriation you still went through it." Asmita finally spoke up, he figured he had remained quiet long enough. "You took something as sacred as marriage and made a mockery out of it."

 

"Now Asmita, I'm pretty sure that Shaka didn't mean to do such a thing. They both must have felt something for one another in order to make that decision." Aishwarya looked at her son for reassurance. She had to look at a bright side to this entire situation. She just couldn't wrap her head around the idea that her son, her only son, had gotten married in Las Vegas. It was something she had never expected for him to do. "I'm pretty sure that there is an explanation as to why they filed for an annulment."

 

"It was her, wasn't it?" Madhuri looked at Shaka as she spoke. She knew her grandson well and that was the only explanation as to why he and his now wife had filed for an annulment. "You tried your best to convince her, but she ended up convincing you."

 

"There will be time to work on our differences." Shaka said avoiding his grandmother's comment, but he couldn't help but feel the weight of his father's words. Shaka took out the small envelope where Shaina had placed the ultrasound picture. He placed it in front of his mother and sat back in his seat and waited for whatever came next.

 

Aishwarya picked up the small envelope and opened it slowly. She was a little worried of what might be inside the small envelope. As she pulled out the small paper, the worried look on her face completely faded. Aishwarya couldn't contain her happiness and got up to hug her son.

 

"Shaka, I just can't believe it. Congratulations!" Aishwarya said while gaining several looks from the people around them. She didn't care; she hugged her son and kissed the top of his head. "How far along is she? Have you both thought of names? Oh, I have so many questions."

 

Aishwarya went back to her seat and showed her husband the picture. Asmita looked at the black and white image and read the information that was written on top. His son's wife was over seven weeks along. He couldn't remember exactly how the girl looked, but he remembered that his daughter mentioned she was one of the twins. Asmita passed the picture along to his mother and paid attention to his son's demeanor. Shaka was exactly like him, yet he was doing the best possible to make the best out of the circumstances. He couldn't deny that his son had made a big mistake when it came to marrying someone he hardly knew. He wouldn't say any more about it, his son now had his own family; a wife, who he knew very little about and a child on the way.

 

"This is the silver lining to all the craziness you both did." Madhuri said with a smile on her lips. She cooed at the picture like if it was a real baby. "You are going to be such a beautiful baby girl or handsome boy. Aishwarya do you have a picture of Shaka's wife? I don't remember her that well."

 

Aishwarya took out her phone and began to look in the messages that Junet had sent her. She scrolled down several times until she found a picture of the entire group together at the Grand Shoppe. Aishwarya smiled, and then looked at Shaka. His son had been lucky in marrying such a beautiful woman. She showed the picture to Madhuri and Asmita.

 

"Is she the one with green eyes dark hair, the one with blue eyes dark hair or the redhead? I can't remember." Madhuri asked.

 

"She is the one with dark hair and green eyes." Aishwarya answered.

 

"Oh, now I remember. She is the one that Junet always talks about." Madhuri said to no one in particular. "Shaka, she is one beautiful looking girl. Even drunk you were able to pick the prettiest out of all three. She looks like she's going to be a hand full, that's for sure."

 

Asmita didn't say anything when he saw the picture. He wasn't the type to comment on his son's choice in women. He didn't do it with his son past relationship, he wasn't going to start to do it now. Asmita gave the phone back to his wife and continued his position at his seat.

 

"What's her name again?" Madhuri asked.

 

"It's Shaina." Shaka answered then looked at his father. "It's Shaina Rinaldi, daughter of Sage Rinaldi."

 

"Not anymore." Madhuri said with a smile still on her lips. "She is Mahajan now. Shaina Mahajan. It sounds really nice."

 

"So how far along is she?" Aishwarya asked wanting to know as much details as possible.

 

"Over seven weeks. The doctor said the baby looks fine and is the size it's supposed to be." Shaka answered.

 

"How is she doing?" Madhuri asked.

 

"She looks to be doing well, the doctor gave her a few things for her to start taking and to look into." Shaka said knowing well that the questions were just starting.

 

"Are you still living apart?" Asmita asked while looking at his son, already knowing what the answer would be.

 

"We will move in together when we get the house. We placed an offer on the third house we saw today." Shaka explained knowing well that it really wasn't what his father wanted to hear. "I'm hoping to hear from the realtor by the end of this week."

 

"Is it necessary to buy a house?" Asmita asked wanting to know as much as he could. Shaka hadn't been too clear about certain details.

 

"It is the best choice for us to buy a house." Shaka's answer was short and direct.

 

"Will she be staying with you for the time being?" Aishwarya asked with concern. "She is in her first trimester, Shaka. She could have a miscarriage if she's not careful."

 

"We will move in together once we get the house." Shaka said as he remained direct and short in his answers.

 

Asmita didn't ask any more questions regarding his son's marriage. It was clear that his son already had an idea of how to handle certain things. For now, he would step back and just observe. Aishwarya didn't like the answer her son was giving her. His wife was going through some changes and she needed all the support from her husband. She didn't know whether to say something or not. Aishwarya knew that Shaka was the same as Asmita. They always knew what was best and there was no way of changing their mind.

 

"Keep an eye on her Shaka. She looks like the independent, strong type, but she will need all your support." Madhuri said only to gain a small nod from Shaka.

 

Madhuri placed her hand on top of her grandson's hand and gave it a light squeeze. The subject came to end soon after. Shaka was no longer giving them much information and Asmita remained mostly quiet. Aishwarya took her husband's hand in hers and silently reassured her husband that their son knew what he was doing, even if everything looked uncertain at the moment.

 

 

**_ May 28th 5pm _ **

 

A beautiful bride, in a gorgeous Vera Wang designer wedding dress, stood outside the church. It was a beautiful spring day, not a rain cloud in the sky. It was the perfect day for any bride to have her wedding. Sadly, the bride wasn't standing on the step of the church entrance or even on the sidewalk of the church. She was standing across the street, with a horrified look on her face as her groom dangled from one of the branches of the trees. A miscalculation on his parachute landing had got him stuck on the tree instead of landing on the steps of the church. He had decided long ago that he had wanted to make a grand entrance just like his bride. He had alright, the entire wedding party, the priest and bride were standing there waiting for the fire department to arrive.

 

The sounds of sirens could be heard getting closer and closer. The bride looked around before setting her eyes back on the man that was stuck up on the tree.

 

"They'll be here soon honey." the bride told her husband-to-be.

 

"I can hear them too." the groom said as he looked down at the woman he was marrying that day.

 

"All right, if all the wedding party could please go back to the church. We have to make room for when the fire department gets here." Geist directed herself to the guests. She turned to her assistant. "Make sure that everything is ready for the ceremony. I know we went over it before this, but I'd rather be safe than sorry."

 

Geist's assistant turned on her heel and began directing guests back to the church. As the last guest was ushered into the church, the fire truck arrived to the scene. The bride and Geist moved out of the way and let the firemen do their work. The firemen set up their ladder and then began working on getting the groom off the tree. The groom's face turned red of embarrassment as he saw a very tall fireman climbing up the ladder. It didn't take long for the groom to get untangled from the tree. Once the paramedics were done checking the groom; the bride and groom headed inside the church.

 

"Thank you." Geist said to the fireman that had helped the groom off the tree.

 

"Are all the weddings like this?" The fireman asked.

 

"No, sadly this is nothing." Geist said as she looked up at the man.

 

"Are you with the bride or the groom?"

 

"I'm Geist, the wedding planner." Geist said extending her hand as she introduced herself.

 

"I'm Aldebaran, the fireman." He smiled at her as he took her hand in his.

 

Geist smiled at him, as they both shook hands. It wasn't hard to take in how the man looked in his uniform. The man was tall, well over six-five, no wedding ring and had a pleasant scent to him. He wasn't very attractive, but he had a nice smile and she felt he was a good person. As she assessed the man in that brief hand gesture, she noticed her assistant on top of the staircase waiting for her.

 

"I'm sorry, duty calls. It was nice meeting you." Geist said before heading back into the church.

 

"Likewise" Aldebaran smiled.

 

"I'm sure I'll see you around, not that I hope all my grooms get caught on trees or anything like that." Geist said as she realized she was babbling.

 

"I'll see you around." Aldebaran smiled even more brightly.

 

Geist crossed the street and met up with her assistant. As she was about to head into the church she turned back quickly and called out to the man that had saved the groom. Aldebaran turned to look at the woman that had called out to him.

 

"If you are ever in need of a wedding planner, I am always available." Geist said from across the street.

 

Aldebaran didn't have much to say. He smiled at her once more and nodded in response. He didn't head back to the fire truck until he lost sight of the woman he had just met. He was sure that it wouldn't be the last time they would meet.


	5. Chapter 5

_“Feels like I'm having a meltdown_

_It feels like I'm losing control_

_They tell me I'm a danger to myself_

_Now the crazy train is ready to roll,”_

_\-  Adam Lambert (Cuckoo)_

  
  
**Chapter 5**

  
  
**_May 28th 8pm_**

 

The driver opened the car door where Shaina was sitting, and held it open for her. Shaina got out of the company car with her cell phone in hand. She was too busy texting to notice anything other than the man that was holding the door open for her. She thanked the driver and told him that she wouldn’t need for him to wait or come back for her. Sage, her father, had called her and asked her to meet him for dinner at his house. He had insisted for her to meet him at exactly seven o’clock. She hadn’t been that lucky; work had overtaken her day, she didn’t have enough time to eat a proper meal that day.

 

Shaina walked towards the front door, glancing up every so often. Martha, a woman well in her early sixties, opened the front door. The woman greeted Shaina with a hug and hurried her to get inside the house. Shaina followed the housekeeper to wherever her father was waiting for her. Her phone went off mid walk, which only meant that it was work related. She looked at her cell phone screen only to confirm that it was work and decided to answer. By the time she crossed the entire living room, she was already into a full conversation with someone from the office. Martha pulled on Shaina’s arm for her to pay more attention to what was happening around her. The older woman pointed out that her father was waiting out on the patio and went back to the kitchen. Shaina walked out onto the patio and stopped mid-conversation as she noticed that her father had invited other guests to their dinner.

 

“I think I’ll have to call you back later. I’m having dinner with my father.” Shaina said to the person on the other side of the call. She tapped on the screen and placed her phone inside her purse. Shaina carefully walked down the few steps that lead to the patio. “Daddy!”

 

“Hello sweetheart.” Sage greeted his daughter with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “How’s my little girl doing?”

 

“Um... Good.” Shaina returned the hug and the kiss. “I'm confused; I thought you and I were having dinner.”

 

“We are. I just thought that it would be a good opportunity to have dinner with you, your husband and his parents.” Sage looked at his daughter and noticed that she was both surprised and upset. Yet, she played it off well by putting on a smile. “Shaina, this is Doctor Asmita Mahajan and his wife, Aishwarya Mahajan.”

 

“We’ve met before. It’s very nice to see you Mr. and Mrs. Mahajan” Shaina smiled and shook each person's hand. She dealt with a lot a different people almost on a daily basis. Her so-called ‘in-laws’ would be like any one of those people. “Papà, could I have a word with you, alone?”

 

“Shaina, aren’t you going to greet your husband?” Sage said calmly, ignoring his daughter’s request.

 

“Yes, of course” Shaina hoped her smile didn’t look as forced as the situation she was being put through. Shaina took a few steps towards Shaka and greeted him with a light kiss on his cheek. Shaka returned the gesture with the mutual feeling as she had.

 

“Would you like a glass of wine?” Sage tested his daughter.

 

“That won't be necessary.” Shaina said gaining a sharp look from her father. “I’ve sworn off any types of alcohol.”

 

“I’ve heard Las Vegas has that effect on many.” Sage retorted. He smiled to himself as he saw how hard his daughter was restraining herself.

 

Aishwarya looked at the scene with amusement. She would imagine the same scene playing out if it was Asmita and Junet. The woman glanced towards her son and smiled. Her son had chosen this woman for a reason and was looking forward to seeing him find that out. Shaka on the other hand was hoping that things wouldn’t get out of hand. He was a little surprised at seeing Shaina act around her father. Something told him that Shaina was the typical daddy's girl.

 

“Dinner is ready.” Josephina, the woman that had cook for the Rinaldi family since before Geist and Shaina were born, announced.

 

The group began to head up the couple of steps that lead back to the house. Shaina stayed back for a bit and lightly pulled Shaka by his arm. The movement itself wasn’t hard or aggressive by any means. It had been done subtle enough to make him stop. Shaka turned to look at the woman that now stood by his side.

 

“It would have been nice if you would have called me and told me about all this.” Shaina said low enough for only him to hear. She was beyond upset and she was going to take it out on the one person that at the moment shared her life with.

 

“Shaina, your father called me yesterday and arranged this meeting.” Shaka answered calmly, it was obvious she was upset but he wasn’t going to engage.

 

“You should have called me; it would have given me enough time to prepare for this. I am not ready, I wasn’t ready to face my father and your parents with… this.” Shaina said gesturing between her and Shaka. He wasn’t saying anything to her and she was getting really irritated. The realization that her father had found out what she had done soon hit and felt hurt because her father would play this his way. “He knows... He knows, and I wasn’t the one that told him.”

 

Shaina was angry, and hurt, that her father had gone to such extremes. The only reason she could see in all this, is that her father was upset with her. He was upset and disappointed in what she had done. He would try to do his best to do damage control. Shaina looked at Shaka one more time before they caught up with the group and entered the house.

 

_‘Things couldn’t be getting more out of control than they were at that moment.’_ Shaina thought to herself.

 

For a second, Shaina had wished she hadn’t thought that. She heard the front door close and a familiar voice calling out for her dad. Shaina cursed under her breath and waited to see the familiar figure meeting them in the living room. Shaina slowly walked those few steps that would take her back into the living room. She saw her brother greeting her dad and the rest of the guests. The familiar sensation arose in the pit of her stomach. She closed her eyes and tried to will the feeling to go away, but it only seemed to get worse and worse.

 

“Shaina?” Manigoldo called out.

 

“I’ll... I’ll be...” Shaina couldn't finish the sentence as she covered her mouth and quickly walked to the nearest bathroom.

 

“She’ll be fine. I think you’ve met Dr. Asmita Mahajan; he has led several of the medical groups for the foundation.” Sage said making the introduction dismissing the fact that his daughter had almost ran to the bathroom.

 

“Yes, of course.” Manigoldo said as he glanced towards where Shaina had disappeared.

 

“And this is Dr. Shaka Mahajan. He is part of a medical group practice.” Sage made the introduction. “He is also your sister’s husband.”

 

Mani’s hold on Shaka’s hand tightened as he eyed at the man that stood in front of him. Just like his sister, Mani didn't like surprises. He just couldn’t see how this man in front of him could be the man that his little sister had chosen as her husband. For starters, the man in front of him was slightly shorter than himself. By comparison, the previous man that his sister had dated was taller than he was, just by two inches. It might be something that didn't matter much to some but it was something that had mattered at the moment. There was no way his sister was married to the man that was now standing before him.

 

“How long have you been married?” Mani asked while keeping a strong hold on the other man’s hand.

 

“Six weeks today.” Shaka answered. He understood why the man in front of him was reacting in such a way. Shaka would do the same if he would have found out that his little sister had been married and had told no one. Shaka pulled his hand from the strong hold, but not for one second did he make himself look like he had lost.

 

“Six weeks? Where did you two get married?” Mani asked still eyeing the man.

 

“Las Vegas.” Shaka continued to answer in a calm matter.

 

“Las Vegas? Really? Were you both sober when you two decided to get married?” Mani tried to control himself from doing something stupid.

 

“No.” Shaka said carelessly. He wasn’t going to lie about what he had done, even if it was unpleasant to say out loud.

 

“Well, that explains a lot.” Manigoldo smirked at the man that stood in front of him. He wasn’t pleased to hear that this man had married his sister while they were drunk. “How long did you two know each other before getting married?”

 

“My sister and my wife have been friends since they were in college. Our paths crossed on several occasions.” Shaka noticed the flicker in the other man’s reaction. It was obvious that the man in front of him hadn’t liked for him to call Shaina his wife. Yet, that was what she was now, his wife.

 

“What is your specialty, as a doctor of course?” Manigoldo asked ignoring the fact that her sister’s ‘in-laws’ were also present. He didn't like this man. He had made up his mind about him the moment he had label Shaina as his wife.

 

“I specialize in internal medicine.” Shaka answered calmly.

 

Manigoldo was about to ask one of many questions he had for the man that had the audacity of calling himself Shaina’s husband. Luckily for Shaka and the rest of the party, Josephina had come into the living room and told them once more that dinner was ready. The older woman led the guest into the dining room. Shaka let them know that he would check on how Shaina was doing. He headed down the hall which he had seen that she had walked off to.

 

    **((@))**

 

Aishwarya turned her attention from the conversation that her husband was having to her now daughter in-law. She had met the woman a couple of times when Junet was in college and several times after that. Junet always talked about her friends so fondly. Aishwarya looked between her son and now her daughter in-law. They looked like a normal couple sitting next to each other, but she knew that they were both uncomfortable with one another. The situation didn't help, being all together like if this had been a traditional type of marriage. She was curious as to how they had come together; even if they were under the influence. Aishwarya smiled to herself.

 

“Tell me Shaina, have you heard anything from the realtor?” Aishwarya asked, trying to make small talk with her daughter in-law. “Shaka told us you both had found a house.”

 

“No, not yet, at least she hasn’t contacted me. Has she contacted you?” Shaina turned to look at the man sitting next to her.

 

“No, I was thinking of calling her first thing in the morning.” Shaka said as he placed his fork next to his plate.

 

“That won’t be necessary.” Sage said quickly changing his conversation from Asmita to the couple. He had gained the attention of all that were in the dining room. “Martha, could you please bring me that folder that is on top of my desk?”

 

“Shaka and I have already placed an offer on the house. We need to know if the owner accepts or not.” Shaina said as she covered her mouth with the cloth napkin. Shaina looked at her plate and pushed it away. She had barely touched her food, but she was done.

 

“Shaina, are you okay?” Aishwarya asked as she looked at the woman in front of her.

 

“Yes, I’ll be fine. I’m just done.” Shaina said as she signaled for Josephina to pick her plate up. She noticed the way Aishwarya looked at her and then smiled at her with understanding.

 

“Do you have some ginger ale or maybe some ginger tea” Aishwarya asked the older woman as she approached Shaina’s side.

 

“I would have to check the kitchen ma’am. Do you take milk and sugar with your tea?” Josephina asked before taking Shaina’s plate.

 

“Oh, it’s not for me, it would be for Shaina” Aishwarya said with a smile on her face. She noticed the look she had gained from the young woman, which made her smile even more. “Ginger is good to damper the nausea. If you don’t have any ginger, I believe lemon would help a little as well.”

 

“Are you pregnant dear?” Josephina asked in Italian. The woman saw how Shaina didn’t want to answer in front of her father and brother. Josephina noticed the look Manigoldo was giving his sister and shook her head as a warning for him not to start anything. “I’ll go get you something.”

 

“I remember when I was pregnant with Shaka. There were days that I couldn’t eat a single thing in the entire day.” Aishwarya continued the conversation hoping it was enough to make Shaina ignore her brother. She felt bad for the young woman but could sympathies with her condition. “My pregnancy with Junet was completely different than Shaka’s. With Shaka I had morning sickness and was always tired. There were even times when I would take a nap late in the afternoon and I wouldn’t wake up till the next morning.”

 

Shaina looked at the woman and smiled. For a moment she felt a sense of relief that someone other than her cousin could relate to what she was going through. Josephina set a glass of ginger ale on the table and kissed the top of Shaina’s head. Josephina told Shaina that they would talk later and walked back into the kitchen. Martha had already returned and had set a manila folder where Sage was sitting. All members of the table gave their full attention to the man.

 

“I spoke to your realtor the other day and have informed her that I would be the one taking care of purchasing the house you have chosen. Think of it as a late wedding present.” Sage said handing the manila folder to Shaka. “The owner has agreed to my offer, it's only a matter of when the closing will be.”

 

“Mr. Rinaldi that wasn't necessary.” Shaka spoke up before Shaina did. “I can assure you I have the means to provide for this marriage.”

 

“I am well aware of how capable you are. I am also aware of the fact that your marriage is under a year probation.” Sage noticed how his daughter avoided looking at her brother. He saw how Manigoldo was trying to restrain himself from saying anything rude in front of the guest. “I’m hoping that by the end of the year probation you and my daughter come to an understanding and what's best for the child.”

 

“So you are pregnant?” Manigoldo directed himself towards Shaina in Italian. “Is that why you got married without telling anyone? How can you be so stupid?”

 

“Manigoldo, that’s enough.” Sage spoke in a calm manner.

 

“I will be waiting in your office.” Mani placed his cloth napkin on the table and stood up from his seat. He excused himself to everyone at the table and left the room.

 

The Mahajan’s sat there as spectator to what was going on. Neither Asmita nor Aishwarya had understood, since the conversation between Manigoldo, Shaina and Sage was in Italian. Shaka had understood part of what had been said and noticed Shaina had a tight hold on her cloth napkin. Shaina wanted to cry, but at the same time she wanted to chase after her brother and yell at him. Shaina felt the bile rising in the back of her throat. She stood up, got out of her chair and excused herself while having her hand over her mouth. She ran off to the nearest bathroom to empty what little her stomach contained.

 

“Mr. Rinaldi, I assure you I will do my best to come to an understanding with your daughter. You have my word that I will be a father to the child your daughter is carrying, regardless of what happens between the two of us.” Shaka said as he looked at Shaina’s father. He didn’t know Sage Rinaldi personally, only what his father spoke of the man. What he did know was that the man was his wife’s father and would do anything to make sure that she was well taken care of.

 

“Shaka, my daughter is not an easy person to get along with. I’m pretty sure you both have bumped heads once or twice already.” Sage said as he took his glass of wine from the table. He took a sip from his glass and thought about how to say things without scaring the young man. “Shaina is a strong woman and extremely independent. I wouldn’t be surprised that the day that she told you she was pregnant; she already had a plan in mind. And I am pretty sure that she told you that you wouldn't have to worry about it; that she would support it.”

 

Shaka was impressed with how well Sage Rinaldi knew his daughter. Every word that Sage was saying was true, and the man hadn't even been there when Shaina had said it.

 

“My daughter requires a lot of patience; she is my daughter after all. I am hoping that you and Shaina make it work.” Sage looked at the younger man and smiled at him. “I want what’s best for her and that is all.”

 

Aishwarya couldn't help but smile to herself. The way things sounded, both Shaina and Shaka would have a long way ahead of them. She made a mental note to make some time to have a talk with Shaina. She would need all the help she could get when it came to her son. If there was one thing that Aishwarya wanted, it would be that her son's marriage would succeed and they would make it work. Their situation wasn’t the best, but there were things that would never start as one expects.

 

            **((@))**

 

 

Shaina opened the bathroom door once she felt sure she wouldn’t empty her stomach anymore. She took a couple of steps into the hall while closing the door behind her. Shaina slowed her pace and thought about what to do next. She knew Mani would begin to ask questions; questions she knew that her father wanted answered in detail to fill in the blanks of the mess she found herself in. That’s was the main reason for Mani being there that night. Shaina didn’t notice that her brother was waiting at the end of the hall. She shook her head and rolled her eyes.

 

“I don’t want to do this right now, not with you.” Shaina said in Italian.

 

“Did you marry him because you are pregnant?” Mani asked continuing in their native language.

 

“I told you, I don’t want to do this right now. I just emptied my stomach for the second time since I got here.” Shaina stood a couple of feet away from him. She was tired and irritated and she really didn’t want to start fighting with him.

 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Mani asked.

 

“Because… I was trying to get an annulment so no one would find out.” Shaina tried not to yell.

 

“Answer my initial question Shaina. Did you marry him because you are pregnant?” Mani asked once again.

 

“Hell No! You actually think that I would be the type to marry. Let alone marry a man because I was pregnant?” Shaina raised her voice in Italian. She looked at her brother with a look that meant every single word she was saying. “I don’t know why exactly I got married, but after several shots of tequila and several glasses of champagne, it seemed like a good idea at the time.”

 

Mani took in his sister’s words and her demeanor. He was mad for what his sister had done and the outcome. He could see that she was upset with how he had approached her, but he could also see how she was more upset with herself. He took those last few steps and hugged his little sister.

 

“Don't you dare hug me, I'm still mad at you for yelling at me.” Shaina said in an angry tone, even if her action at the moment was her hugging him back. She began to tear up and hid her face on her brother's chest. She hated fighting with her brother, she hated yelling at him, but most of all she hated crying.

 

“Are you crying?” Manigoldo asked with a light smile on his lips.

 

“No, I am not. It’s just all these hormones.” Shaina said as she looked up at him and saw that he was smiling. “Shut up, don't laugh at me.”

 

“Who’s laughing?” Mani kept on smiling even after Shaina playfully smacked him on the chest. “What was that for?”

 

“You shouldn't be laughing at your sister that way.” Shaina said trying to give him a dirty look. “Especially in the situation I am in.”

 

“If it helps any, he doesn't look like such a bad guy. It doesn't mean I'll make things easy for him.” Manigoldo said with a smile still on his lips.

 

“You know what? It really doesn't help that you think that about him.” Shaina said pulling away from his hug. “But I do love you looking out for me.”

 

“Always do and always will.” Mani said while placing a kiss on the top of her head. “Say goodnight to everyone for me.”

 

“But, why are you leaving?” Shaina asked knowing well his reason to do so.

 

“You have to talk to dad and your new in-laws. I don't want to get in the way.” Mani said as he hugged his sister once more. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

 

Shaina saw her brother turn on his heel and head towards the front door. She knew her brother would always be there for her, but as she saw him leave, she actually felt alone. He had messed up her life in a matter of weeks and now she truly felt like she was alone in this. She wiped away the single tear that ran down her cheek before she made her way back to the dining room.

 

 

            **((@))**

 

 

Shaina made her way back to the dining table as Josephina finished setting up coffee and dessert. In her place, Josephina had placed some biscotti and sparkling water with a wedge of lemon. Shaina sat on her seat and tried to catch up with as much of the conversation as she could. She took the biscotti in her hand and took a bite from it. It didn't help that her stomach started to act up as soon as she swallowed the bite. Shaina quickly took her glass and took a drink from it. This gained the attention of the other three that were sitting around the table.

 

“Shaina, are you alright?” Sage asked with a worried look on his face.

 

“I’m fine; please continue with your conversation. Don't mind me.” Shaina said right after she took a drink from her glass.

 

Shaina calmed herself as best as she could. Once she gained her composure she pushed the plate back and tried to pay attention to the conversation. It seemed that food wasn't going to make it down to her stomach that night.

 

“I was telling Shaka when you left, that I hope that you both make this marriage work.” Sage directed himself towards his daughter. “Nothing would make me happier, than to see your child have his parents together.”

 

Shaina looked at her father but didn't say anything. There was a lot of meaning in his words. There was so much that she had gone through that one way or the other her father knew it had affected her. Shaina looked down at her cloth napkin that she set on her lap. She couldn’t manage to respond or look at her father. She didn't want to say anything that would make the night more uncomfortable than it already was.

 

“We are hoping for the same thing as well.” Aishwarya spoke up as she gained the attention of all who were at the table. “We were surprised by the news that Shaka had gotten married, but at the same time filled with joy when he gave us the news about the baby. The situation of you both coming together wasn't what we all expected. You both have been given an opportunity to try and be a couple. It is important for you both to be on the same page for the sake of that child that you are having.”

 

Aishwarya looked at couple that sat across from her and knew that whatever their hopes and wishes were, it was still up to them. She knew her son had accepted this marriage regardless of what he felt about the woman or the situation. Aishwarya had heard part of the conversation that Shaka had with Asmita weeks back. There wasn't much to say about her son. Shaka was ready to take the responsibility of marriage and of becoming a father. He understood that in their culture there were a lot of arranged marriages. Although Asmita and she hadn't been in that situation, both their parents had. Shaka had accepted that possibility a long time ago, yet they would have never done that to either him or Junet. Aishwarya didn't know what type of upbringing Shaina had. She had heard only about Mr. Rinaldi, from her husband. The little she knew about Shaina was because of Junet. She hoped that Shaina would give the opportunity they had received, a chance.

 

“Shaina, my son will not be the easiest person to get along with. He isn't as perfect as he might think he is.” Aishwarya said, gaining a look from her son and her husband. She dismissed both of them and continued. “Well honey you're not. I'm not going to lie to the poor girl; besides I think she knows that already.”

 

“Aishwarya” Asmita said to get his wife’s attention. Aishwarya turned to look at her husband and smiled; she had gone a bit off topic.

 

“As I was saying, my son might not be who you pictured getting married to, but he will respect you. He will take care of you and the child you are having together. I can honestly assure you that he will.”

 

Shaina looked at the woman and gave her a small smile. There was so much she could say to the woman, but there was no longer a time or a place for it. Whatever anger Shaina felt at that moment; Shaka’s mother wasn't going to be the one at the receiving end. There was only one person aside from herself that she could direct her anger at. Still, this wasn’t the time or the place. Shaina noticed from the corner of her eyes that Shaka had placed something on the table. There was a sense of panic Shaina was feeling and that wasn't good. As she turned to look at Shaka, she saw the small box on the table. She knew what that was and a wave of panic washed over. Shaka noticed how Shaina tensed all of a sudden. She knew what that box contained and she knew what it meant. Shaka opened the small black velvet box that contained two wedding bands and a diamond ring. Shaina looked at the man and silently pleaded that it wasn't the time or the place.

 

“Your father asked me to bring them.” Shaka told her.

 

“I thought it would be good for you to wear your wedding rings, seeing as you are going to remain married for the time being.” Sage said forcing his daughter to give in.

 

“I don't see it as something necessary. Many married couples don't use wedding rings.” Shaina said as a matter of fact. She wasn't going to give in without a fight.

 

“I was told that the judge granted your name change as well, it’s usually optional now, yet there was a reason for the judge to deem it necessary.” Sage said, letting Shaina and Shaka know that he was aware of what went on at their hearing. “Wedding rings have always symbolized trust, loyalty in the person that they are given to. Now under the circumstances that you both were in, I don't see much as to what brought you both to marry and exchange rings and vows. We know now in what situation the judge has placed you on. Why not consider the exchanging of rings in this as well? The judge did declare you husband and wife once more.”

 

Shaina looked at her father and at how much he was pushing her. It was not like him to push her to do something that she didn't want to do. There was more to it and she didn't know how far she would be pushed before she would break. Shaina only guessed that her father was upset with her. They had been through some drama before with the man she previously dated. Her father had pushed her so much that she had given up on the relationship. Her father had been right in the end, yet it had taken a lot from her.

 

The Mahajan’s sat in complete silence. No one said anything as they saw father and daughter go back and forth. There were points made by Sage Rinaldi that Asmita and Aishwarya hadn't been fully aware of. They saw how Shaka didn't have much of a problem with agreeing to wear the ring, but Shaina wasn't going to give in. Aishwarya felt for the girl. There was so much being pushed at them all at once and she wasn't in the condition to take it all in. Yet, Aishwarya had to admit that it had been their own doing and that is why they were in that situation.

 

“Fine!” It was all Shaina said as she slowly was losing her decorum. “In the end it's just jewelry.”

 

Shaina took the rings from the box and placed them on her ring finger. She leaned back in her chair and took her glass of water. The new weight on the left ring finger was setting in. This was something that she couldn't get out of that easily. Shaina tried not to tear up and took a drink from her glass to cover up any anger she was feeling. Shaka took the wedding band in his hand and placed it on his ring finger. He too felt the weight of the ring, but for him it was more of a feeling of new responsibility. The fact that he now had a wife and a child on the way was setting in. It felt different; it was something completely different than what he had thought it would feel like.

 

“Shaina, maybe you and I could go to eat sometime. We could go out shopping as well; I would like to start helping pick out some things for the baby.” Aishwarya said with excitement in her voice.

 

“I would like that.” Shaina said as she returned the smile. There was no way she was going to be rude to Junet's mother. “I will have to check my schedule, but just tell me what day and I'll make sure to schedule it in.”

 

“Since your father already gave you the house as a late wedding present, we would love to give you one from us.” Aishwarya smiled at the couple and then at her husband.

 

“You don't have to do that.” Both Shaka and Shaina said at the same time, and then looked at one another.

 

“You don't have to do that. My father doesn't have to pay for our house as well.” Shaina spoke first before Shaka did. “Shaka and I are able to afford buying the house on our own, as well as buying what we need.”

 

“The house is my gift to you both. I had already told Shaka about this.” Sage spoke up.

 

“The same goes for us and I honestly can't wait to start buying thing for my grandchild.” Aishwarya clapped her hands together. “Shaina you are family now, regardless of what might happen in a year.”

 

Shaina swallowed hard and gave Aishwarya the best smile she could give. She was uncomfortable now. What Aishwarya had said about her being a part of their family had made her uncomfortable. In the end Shaina nodded her head and smiled trying to hide how uncomfortable she really felt.

 

“Well, I think I should head out now. I am getting a bit tired.” Shaina said finding the best excuse possible. “We should have lunch this week dad. There was something I was going to discuss with you.”

 

“I'll be leaving for Athens in a few days to meet up with Kido. I'll call you to set up something before I go.” Sage said knowing that his daughter wanted to talk to him about what he had pushed her to do.

 

“I think we should leave too.” Asmita spoke up. He had been observing the couple for most of the time and he didn’t like what he had seen. He was disappointed at his son and he didn’t much care for the woman that was caring her son’s child, his grandchild. He respected Sage Rinaldi; unfortunately he didn’t feel the same way towards the man’s daughter.

 

“I think so too. Shaka are you going to be taking Shaina home or did you bring your own car dear?” Aishwarya asked looking at the couple across from her.

 

“I usually have a driver from work take me places. When I come here, my father's driver takes me home.” Shaina rushed in to answer before Shaka did.

 

“I’ll take you home.” Shaka said without waiting to be asked by his mother or now father-in-law.

 

“I don't need you to...” Shaina began to say.

 

“I said I'll take you home.” Shaka said while looking at her. It was always going to be an uphill battle with her. That was more than obvious now.

 

Shaina didn't respond. She knew that it wasn't the time or the place to fight with the man that was now her husband.

 

“It’s settled then! Shaka will make sure you both get home safe and sound.” Aishwarya said while smiling at couple.

 

Aishwarya was a mother and could only hope that those two would find their own rhythm when it came to getting along. She also hoped that her husband would come around as well. She knew him so well that she could read what was going through his mind at the moment. This was just so complicated for all of them.

 

**((@))**

 

As before, Shaina had opened the car door as soon as Shaka had parked the car. She didn't take the time to thank him or to say good night. Shaina hurried past the doorman and greeted him with a quick hello as she passed by him. She wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone. She just hoped that Shaka had taken the hint and gone home. As the elevator doors were closing, Shaina noticed someone hurrying to stop the door from closing. Unfortunately it had been Shaka, the one that had been able to stop the doors from closing.

 

“I think I made myself very clear that I can manage getting home on my own. I've been doing it for years and I’m still capable to continue to do so.” Shaina said once the door closed and elevator began to move.

 

“I need to make sure that you’ll get home safe and sound.” Shaka said while looking at the closed elevator doors.

 

“Why? Is it because if we would have waited my father or your mother would have suggested it?” Shaina snapped at him. She didn’t care that it wasn’t the place to argue with him. He didn’t take the hint before so now he would be the recipient of all her anger. “Or is it because you want to fuck me once more? You want to prove to me that you supposedly can handle me in bed.”

 

“I am doing this because I want to make sure you get home safe.” Shaka said with such calmness in his voice. He wasn’t going to give in into her anger. “Like it or not, YOU are now my wife. You have been my wife for quite some time and if I didn't insist on it, it was because I respected your wishes. You ignored mine on several occasions and I gave in to your request.”

  
“I’m not your wife; I will never be your wife. The vows that we slurred to one another in front of complete strangers mean absolutely nothing to me.” Shaina didn't take her eyes off of him, as she now stood several inches away from him. She was beyond angry now; he had reached her limits with what he had said. He didn't own her just because now he was her husband. “It doesn’t matter what you say or what the judge has ruled. I will never be yours.”

 

 

What Shaina hated the most at that moment was the fact of being stuck with him in that elevator. She wanted to turn on her heel and walk away, but she couldn’t at the moment. She soon realized how close she was to him and his scent was driving her crazy and not in a good way, at least for her. Since the moment she had greeted him that night, so had his scent. The way he smell was a turn on for her, it was playing with her mind, she couldn't concentrate.

At that moment all she wanted to do, was to push him against the elevator wall and have her way with him.

 

_“What the hell is wrong with me?”_ She asked herself mentally as she took a step back. _“That’s it, I’m completely going insane.”_

 

“Shaina, I would like for us to really work on this. If not for us, at least we should do it for the child you are carrying, _our child_.” Shaka said in a clam manner. Not once had he tried to raise his voice. “I am making sure you get home safe not only because you are my wife, but you are also carrying our child.”

 

At that moment the elevator doors opened. They stood there in silence for a few seconds before Shaina made the first move to exit the elevator. It didn't take long for them to reach her door. Shaina pulled out her keys from her purse and opened the two locks on the door. Without any word, Shaina walked into her apartment and turned the lights on. She turned to look at Shaka and silently asked him to come in.

 

“Do you want to check the rest of the apartment or does it seem safe enough?” Shaina asked sarcastically as she closed the door behind him, not really caring for an answer. Still it never came. She made her way into the living room, placed her purse on the sofa as she took out her cell phone. “Would you like anything to drink?”

 

“No, I’m fine, thank you.” Shaka said as he remained close to the front door. He had assessed the room as soon as he had entered the apartment.

 

“You can take a seat if you like.” Shaina said as she walked towards her bedroom. She needed a bit of space to gather her wandering thoughts.

 

She debated with herself mentally whether to continue fighting or not. In her state she didn't care much. Shaina closed the door to her bedroom and went to pull out something to sleep in. She hated the situation she was in, and the rings she now wore on her finger. She hated the fact that the man she wanted to be as far away from was in her apartment at the moment. Shaina sat on the edge of her bed and tried to calm herself. She didn’t like everything she was feeling at the moment. There was something stronger invading her mind at the moment above all other. She wanted to get him in bed without making herself look so urged. She didn’t know why she was feeling that way. For some reason it was only happening when she was around him. No other scent would arouse her like his scent would. Shaina placed her hands on her lap and tried to will the feeling to go away. She needed to get laid, but sadly those days were long gone now that she was married.

 

Shaka walked into the living room and finally took notice of how she had everything set up. The last time he was here, he hadn't paid much attention on his way in or on his way out. Her living room was tastefully decorated, with a touch of modern elegance. It was very stylish yet simple, just like the owner. He had to correct himself right away. There was nothing simple about Shaina Rinaldi, that he was certain of. As if he had called her, Shaina appeared at the entrance of her bedroom door with her high heels off and with her dress out of place.

 

“This must be the most cliché thing to ask you. Could you please help me with the zipper in the back?” Shaina hated herself for asking him. She felt like those women that would try to get a man into their bed. This was not the case for her; she just really needed help unzipping the dress. “I can’t pull it down and the last thing I want to do, is to end up scratching my back with the hanger.”

 

“Sure.” Shaka said as he walked up to her. He noticed that zipped was stuck half way down her back. “Has this happened before?”

 

“No, not with this dress at least.” Shaina said as she felt Shaka tug a little on the zipper.

 

“I think this dress might fit you a bit snug. Have you gained any weight?” Shaka asked as he tried to pull the zipper down.

 

“No I have not gained any weight.” Shaina said sounding appalled as to what he had just asked. She held her long hair to the side. “This dress has always fit me a bit snug.”

 

Shaka tugged a little more and the zipper went down without getting stuck anymore. Her back was mostly uncovered now and if wasn't for her bra; her back would have been completely undressed. His hand lingered just a bit on the fabric as he looked at her bare skin. Shaka began to fight himself from touching her. He removed his hand from the fabric in order to keep himself from doing anything they would both regret later. There was no chance that she would be in the mood to repeat what they had done weeks ago. She was angry and he didn’t care if he was at the receiving end of it.

 

“Thank you.” Shaina said when she turned around and looked at him. She let go of her long hair and began to make her way back to her bedroom. “I’ll finish up in a bit. I’m pretty sure you want to get home soon.”

 

“I think you should get that zipper fixed, it will just keep getting stuck.” Shaka said ignoring the last thing she had said. He moved away from where he stood as he had a clear view of her bedroom from where he once stood. He felt like he was losing control of himself and his obvious erection was proof of it.

 

Shaina closed the bedroom door and grabbed a couple of things from her bed. She wasn't crazy enough to seduce him, regardless of how she was feeling at that moment. He had simply helped her unzip her dress and it had turned her on even more. It didn’t help her much when she had noticed the bulge in his pants and had to contain herself from doing something completely stupid. There was a perfectly good vibrator in the drawer of her night stand that could get her to climax just as well as he would. At least that’s what she had to continue telling herself. It didn't take her long to change into a short silk black nightgown with a matching robe and she had pulled her hair up in a messy side braid.

 

“I think I'll head out now. That is if there is nothing more that you need.” Shaka said as soon as he heard the door to bedroom open. He tried to ignore what she was wearing as soon as he had seen her walk into the living room.

 

“No, I don't think so. I was completely humiliated tonight by my father and brother. You practically insulted me ten minutes ago. I think I'm much pretty set for the night.” Shaina said as she pulled up a set of keys she had hid between the cushions of her sofa. She turned to look at the man and noticed that he was attentive to what she was doing. “Here, these are my emergency keys to the apartment. You keep going on and on about how you have concerns, so I thought it over when I was changing.”

 

Shaka was surprised to say the least. He never thought that she would take into consideration his concerns for her safety. He decided not to say anything about it as he had noticed the tone she had used to describe how she didn’t need anything else. He hadn’t meant to insinuate that she had gained weight; it had been a simple question. There was no reason to think that she was gaining weight, especially with what she was wearing at the moment. She looked amazing and more tempting than he had ever imagined she would look. Shaka took the keys that she was handing him and placed them on his pants pocket. He was finding it hard to trust himself from doing something stupid.

 

“I won't leave until I hear the locks from the other side.” Shaka said as they both made their way to the front door. He needed to place distance between them.

 

“Thank you for bringing me home.” Shaina said like if it was nothing special.

 

“This really must be a record for you. You keep thanking me.” Shaka said with a genuine smile on his face.

 

“Don't get too used to it.” Shaina answered back trying to look serious.

 

Shaina closed the door after they had said their goodbyes, she made sure that the door was completely closed and both locks were on. She knew that he wouldn't leave until he heard the door had been locked. Shaina turned on her heel and headed to her bedroom. She didn’t know whether to search for her vibrator in the nightstand or just go to sleep. She was sexually frustrated and wanted to release some much needed tension, but at same time she was feeling sleepy. Shaina muffled a yawn, it was only eleven thirty and she felt like it was much later. Usually she would fall asleep as soon as she would get home from work. She would take sleeping early better than emptying her stomach any time. Once she had washed up for the night and opened the sheets to her bed, she had chosen what she was going to do. Sleep, it had won over the sexual tension she was feeling. She could always use her vibrator in the morning. For now she would curl up in bed and go to sleep.

 

 

**_ May 29th 1pm _ **

 

Geist closed the front door as soon as Marin stepped into the apartment. Marin made her way towards the dining table and began to set up what she had brought. Geist had called her late last night and asked her if she wanted to have lunch with her and Shaina. Since she didn’t have any plans for that Sunday, Marin had happily accepted. Marin finished setting up the food and went to Shaina’s small kitchen to get some plates and glasses.

 

“I brought enough for four. Do you know if Junet is going to make it?” Marin asked.

 

“I called her last night and she told me that she would come by after eating lunch with her family.” Geist said as she took out the sparkling water from the fridge. “I guessing she won't be hungry once she gets here.”

 

“You might be right. I’ll make sure to set her dessert aside; she’ll want some of what I made.” Marin said as she took out some plates and glasses. “Where’s Shaina?”

 

“She was almost done getting ready when you came in.” Geist said as she walked towards the dining table.

 

“I heard my name. You should stop talking about me behind my back now.” Shaina said as she walked into the small dining area.

 

“I usually just tell you things straight to your face, so I don't have anything to hide.” Geist teased.

 

“Yeah, I'm sure you do.” Shaina said as she looked at what Marin had brought. “This all looks really good.”

 

“I brought quiche, savory tart and Dutch babies, all the three types they serve.” Marin said with a smile.

 

“Ooh, you went to Tilikum, nice.” Geist said as she walked back to the fridge to get the orange juice.

 

“All the food is from there with the exception of dessert. I made that myself.” Marin finished setting things up. “Where is the champagne? We usually have mimosas with our brunch.”

 

“We are going healthy for this brunch. Shaina's not drinking, remember.” Geist said as she took her place. “We are going to be supportive.”

 

“Still? Really? I thought this was going to be a short lived phase.” Marin looked at her friend as she took her seat. “It's been well over a month since we got back. I'm pretty sure you gave your liver a long break already.”

 

“Well, this break is going to take around nine months or so.” Geist said, only to gain a look from her sister.

 

“Nine months? Why nine months…” Marin stopped herself and looked at Shaina in shock. “Are you pregnant?”

 

Shaina looked at her friend and didn't give her an answer. Her silence had been enough for Marin to get her answer.

 

“Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! You’re pregnant. When? How far along are you?” Marin was full of questions, her voice full of excitement. She had never thought that she would be receiving such great news that day. As she continued to think of everything she wanted to ask her best friend, there was one question that had popped in her head above all. “Who’s the father?”

 

“Brace yourself, its one shocking revelation.” Geist said dramatically as she began to cut into the quiche.

 

“I turned eight weeks today, and I just realized that as I said it out loud.” Shaina said as she got up from her chair and went to the coffee table where she had left a small booklet that she had left a few days ago. Shaina gave the booklet to Marin once she took her seat. “I had an ultrasound done at my first prenatal visit this past week.”

 

Marin looked at each one of the pictures. She was amazed at how small the baby was. Her brother had gotten married a year ago and her sister in-law was reaching her final weeks of her pregnancy already. Shaina was like a sister to her and she felt as much excitement for her as any other sister would.

 

“Who’s the father? Last time I heard you weren't dating or sleeping with anyone.” Marin asked with sincerity in her voice. She was a little surprised that Shaina hadn’t jumped at what she had said, but instead looked as if she was hesitating to tell her. Marin realized that indeed Shaina was hesitating. “What the F is going on?”

 

“It was back in Vegas.” Shaina said as she tried to avoid the question.

 

“Shaina tell her or I will.” Geist warned as she placed a piece of quiche in all three plates. “Besides, Marin will know that I was right all along.”

 

“You were right?” Marin asked as she tried to figure out what Geist meant. She had no clue what Geist was saying or why Shaina was hesitating so much. “Seriously girls, what the F is going on?”

 

“Shaka is the father.” Shaina said at the same time Marin had realized what Geist meant. “Like I said before, this happened back in Vegas.”

 

“Oh my gosh! You and Shaka are having a baby?” Marin placed the booklet further down the table. She didn’t know whether she should be excited or question it. Now it was all making sense, if you can call it that. “You slept with Shaka in Vegas? Of course, he's the guy from the picture. The guy you were making out with at Senor Frogs.”

 

“I didn't think about the picture. We have proof that you two were already together.” Geist said as she took a piece of her quiche with her fork. She felt like she had to question everything once more. She wanted full details of what had happened that weekend in Vegas. “Was that your wedding day or were you already celebrating your honeymoon?”

 

“Wedding day? Honeymoon?” Marin said as she sat her glass of juice back on the table. She now had more questions and she needed answers. “You have to tell me everything now.”

 

Shaina looked at her friend and then at her sister, and gave in. This wasn't the way she had planned on telling Marin, but it would help her when it came to giving the news to Junet. Shaina took a sip of her sparkling water and began telling them what she remembered from the night.

 

 

**_ May 29th 1:30pm _ **

 

 

Junet sat the pink box filled with pastries on the kitchen counter of her mother's house. Her mother was busy cutting some vegetables while her grandmother was cutting some chicken breast. It was their usual family dinner and Junet would always make or bring dessert. Her father and brother would sometimes come in and help with the preparation of the food.

 

“Anything I could help with?” Junet said as she washed her hands in the kitchen sink.

 

“Could you get an onion for me? It’s inside the vegetable drawer in the refrigerator.” Aishwarya, Junet’s mother, asked as she placed all the cut vegetables in a ceramic container.

 

Junet opened the refrigerator doors and looked in the vegetable drawer. Her mother always placed the onions in the refrigerator at least for ten to fifteen minutes before cutting them. She always said that by doing so, cutting the onion would not make her cry. Junet smiled to herself as she took the onion out from the drawer. Her mother would always throw little tidbits of information here and there; it was one of her ways of sharing her _‘wisdom’_ as a mother. As Junet closed the doors to the fridge she noticed a small picture placed on one of the corners of the small white board. Junet took the picture with a smile on her face and headed towards where her mother was cutting the vegetables.

 

“Oh my gosh!” Junet said with excitement in her voice. “Who is having a baby? Is it cousin Aghora or is it cousin Shiva?”

 

Both Junet’s mother and grandmother looked at each other and then at Junet. They knew what was coming next, and they weren’t so sure how to respond to it. Aishwarya had completely forgotten to take the picture down from the fridge until Shaka would speak to Junet. She decided to frame the ultrasound picture, but completely forgot to do so.

 

“Junet, why don’t you come over here and help me?” Madhuri, Junet’s grandmother, tried to get her attention. It was no use as she soon saw the questionable expression on her granddaughter’s face.

 

“Why is Shaina’s name on this ultrasound picture?” Junet questioned both women who had now stopped prepping the food. “Why is there an ultrasound picture belonging to my best friend up on your refrigerator door, mom?”

 

“Junet, why don’t you just leave the picture where you found it and just go set the table?” Madhuri said as she took a couple of steps towards her granddaughter.

 

“It says here that she is seven weeks and three days along.” Junet stood across from her mother and placed the picture on the counter top. Neither woman spoke, and just looked at her.

 

“Junet, sweetie, I think maybe you should speak to…” Aishwarya began to say.

 

“Is it Shaka’s?” Junet interrupted her mother.

 

“Junet...” Aishwarya tried once more.

 

“Does the baby in this ultrasound picture belong to my brother?” Junet questioned with anger, her eyes filling up with tears. She didn’t know whether if it was anger or betrayal or both.

 

“Yes, Junet, the baby in the picture belongs to your brother and your friend.” Madhuri approached her granddaughter and took her in her arms. “They are married and are having a child.”

 

Junet looked at her grandmother and pulled out of the hug. She turned and looked at her mother only to confirm what her grandmother had just said. Junet took a couple of steps back. Without thinking much about it she grabbed her keys and her wallet and made her way towards the front door.

 

“Junet, where are you going?” Aishwarya called out but all she got in response was the front door being slammed.

 

Aishwarya and Madhuri looked at one another; they had an idea where Junet might be heading off to. There was nothing they could do, but let Shaka know what had happened. Junet would come back after she directed her anger on the right person. They just weren’t so sure who would be the first.

 

“What’s going on in here? Was that Junet, who just left?” Asmita said as he made his way into the kitchen.

 

“She knows.” Madhuri said as she looked at her son.

 

“Did you tell her?” Asmita asked as he saw his mother pick up the ultrasound picture from the counter.

 

“I think you should call Shaka and let him know.” Aishwarya told her husband.

 

Asmita looked at his wife and then his mother, who was now putting the picture back on the refrigerator door. He turned on his heel and headed back to his study where he had left his phone.

 

 

**_ May 29th 3pm _ **

 

 

Shaina stepped out of the restroom and headed back to her small living room. It was only three o’clock in the afternoon, but she had already changed into her comfy clothes. She made herself comfortable in her sofa and placed a throw blanket over herself. Geist placed two cups filled with hot tea on the coffee table and sat on the others side of the sofa. She handed a cup to her sister and took the other one for herself. Marin sat on one of the chairs with her own cup in hand. Geist and Marin looked at Shaina and noticed how tired and pale she looked.

 

“Are you feeling any better?” Marin asked.

 

“I think I should stop eating all together.” Shaina said before taking a sip of her hot tea.

 

“You know you can't do that.” Marin said.

 

“Shaina, it will get better.” Geist said as she rubbed her sister's arm. “How did the house hunting go?”

 

“We found a house the same day we started looking for one. It was actually the third house the realtor had shown us that day. There was no point at looking at other houses after that.” Shaina said as she placed her cup on the side table. “Dad took care of it, all of it.”

 

“How did Dad take the news?” Geist asked before taking a sip from her cup. “What did he say about becoming a grandfather?”

 

“I don’t think he’s too thrilled in finding out that I got married and how I got married. We haven't really had time to have a conversation, just the two of us. Yesterday, I had dinner with him, Shaka, my in-laws and Mani. You know that it only means he is trying to clean up the mess I made. Manigoldo was something else altogether.”

 

“Mani called me late last night. He wasn’t happy at first, but once the topic about the baby came up, he was calm.” Geist said as she placed her empty cup on the coffee table.

 

“So, when are you moving?” Marin asked

 

“As soon as the realtor lets us know. I was going to ask you girls if you could help me pack.” Shaina said placing the throw blanket on the arm rest.

 

“Have you spoken to Junet?” Marin asked once she finished drinking the last of her tea.

 

Shaina was about to answer Marin, when the sound of the doorbell interrupted her. Geist let the girls know that she would get it and got up from her seat. It didn’t take her long to get to the door and checked to see who it was. She smiled and began to open the locks on the door.

 

“Speaking of which…” Geist said as she turned on the handle and opened the door. “Hey Junet, we were just…”

 

“Shaina!” Junet called out in a loud voice while ignoring Geist as she entered.

 

Geist closed the door as soon as Junet entered the apartment and followed her closely. In the living room Marin and Shaina had stood up from their seats. Both women had heard the tone on their friend’s voice and knew nothing good would come next. They all had an idea of why their friend had arrived in such a state.

 

“How can you do this to me?” Junet asked in anger as she reached the living area.

 

“To you? How can I do this to you?” Shaina asked in the same tone Junet was using.

 

“You married my brother and not only that but you’re pregnant. When were you planning to tell me?” Junet stood several feet away from the woman the she considered her best friend.

 

“I was drunk just like he was. We got pregnant because we were both too drunk to think about using any birth control.” Shaina said as she stood across from her friend. She had dreaded that moment and now it had come. “I didn’t tell you because I wasn’t ready to tell you.”

 

“When? When were you going to be ready to tell me that you were fucking my brother?” Junet asked with anger still in her voice. “I asked you the day we had lunch if you liked him and you said no. I asked you if you had slept with him and you said no. You lied to me.”

 

“Yes, I fucked your brother on three separate occasions and two of those times I was drunk. And just like I fucked your brother, he fucked me as well.” Shaina said as she lowered her voice. She didn’t want any of the neighbors coming knocking on her door because of the noise. “Do you actually think my plans were to go to Vegas and end up getting married to your brother? Do you honestly think I am excited to know that the annulment was rejected? I am stuck being married to that stick in the mud you call a brother for the next year.”

 

“My brother is too good to be married to a person such as you. He’s the one that stuck with a...” Junet stopped herself before uttering that last word.

 

“Say it!” Shaina dared her friend to say the word she knew Junet wanted to yell at her.

 

“Girls, maybe we should take a breath.” Marin said as she approached where both women stood. “Let’s not say things that will be hard to take back.”

 

Junet and Shaina turned and looked at Marin who now stood next to Geist. Both women looked beyond angry. Geist had balled her hands into a fist and tried hard not to get into the middle of the argument.

 

“Junet, Shaina is pregnant and the last thing we would want is for something bad to happen to her and the baby.” Marin said hoping that with that reminder, the argument would end. “You both have been friends for a long time. It wouldn’t be right if something like this would tear your friendship apart. You both are family now, literally.”

 

The realization that Junet and Shaina were now family, hadn’t really crossed their minds until the moment Marin had said it. Both women were still quite angry with one another. Marin was always the peacemaker of the group, and like so, she was doing what she always did. Junet was beyond angry and didn’t care to make peace with the woman that had lied to her for weeks.

 

“Let's hope that when Shaina fucks your brother Marin, you will take it calmly.” Junet directed herself towards Marin.

 

“Get out!” Geist finally spoke up. She wasn’t going to allow Junet to continue insulting her sister, regardless of the mistakes she had done. “Get out of my sister’s house.”

 

“Geist!” Marin said as Junet turned and looked at Geist. “You’re not making things any easier by telling Junet to leave.”

 

“She’s right. Junet, get out of my house.” Shaina spoke up before making her way to the bathroom.

 

“Shaina!” Marin called out as she saw her friend close the door behind her.

 

“You heard my sister, get out.” Geist said as she looked at Junet.

 

Junet was still angry and wanted to continue yelling at Shaina. At that moment it didn't much matter that she was her brother’s wife and the woman that was carrying her brother’s baby. She was Shaina, the friend that had slept with her older brother and had kept it from her. Junet shook her head and headed towards the door. As she stepped outside the apartment, she slammed the door behind her and made her way towards the elevator.

 

Inside the bathroom, Shaina had heard the front door being slammed shut. It was obvious that Junet had left her apartment. She took a deep breath in and wiped a couple of tears that had run down her face. She wished that things had gone so differently, but there was no turning back. Shaina continued to take deep breaths to try and calm the feeling of her stomach turning. She soon found herself leaning over the toilet and emptying her stomach once more. Geist and Marin had made their way towards the bathroom door once Junet had left. They stood a couple of steps away from the door. Both women heard as the other emptied her stomach behind the closed door.

 

“What’s going to happen next?” Marin asked as she took those last few steps towards the door.

 

“I have no clue.” Geist said as she too approached the door.

 

“Did you notice that Shaina used the word _WE_?” Marin looked at her friend.

 

“We? When?” Geist asked a little confused as to what her friend was referring to.

 

“Shaina said ‘we got pregnant’, when she told Junet that she and her brother were too drunk to use any type of birth control.” Marin pointed out.

 

“And?” Geist asked knowing well what her friend was trying to say. “I think you are reading too much into it. If there really was a We in the matter, he would be here holding my sister’s hair and rubbing her back.”

 

“Well, that's true.” Marin said as both women waited until the other emerged from the bathroom.

 

The phone that Shaina had placed on the coffee table chimed, alerting the owner that they had a message. Geist moved away from her place and went to check who had texted her sister. She hoped that Junet wouldn’t be so stupid enough as to continue her rage over the phone. As Geist swiped the phone screen, she saw that it was a message from Shaka. Geist opened it right away and read it. He wanted to know if his sister had been there. Geist didn't think twice about it and called him up.

 

“This is Geist.” Geist said right away as she heard the other person answer.

 

“Hello Geist. I need to talk to Shaina.” Shaka said.

 

“If it's about Junet, she just left a few minutes ago.” Geist said gaining a look from Marin, who had left her place from guarding the bathroom door. Geist wasn’t going to leave certain details of what had happened. She would make sure that he knew how bad things had gotten. “Junet and Shaina had an argument; as you well can guess what it was about. Shaina asked her to leave before she headed to the bathroom to empty her stomach, for the fourth time today.”

 

“Is Shaina doing all right?” Shaka asked with concern as she had been ill most of last night as well.

 

“She hasn't been able to keep anything down today.” Geist kept her eye on the bathroom door. At that moment the door opened and Shaina came out with her hand extended out, so that Geist would give her the phone. “Hold on a second.”

 

“Hey.” Shaina greeted once she had her phone in her hand. She had been able to hear a bit of what her sister had said and had hurried so she would be able to talk to him. “I’m fine; it's nothing that I can't handle. Go take care of Junet.”

 

“Make sure you rest and if you can, lie down for a while.” Shaka said on the other side of the line. He was beginning to get worried and felt that he needed to be there for her. “I’ll head to your apartment as soon as I am done settling things with Junet.”

 

“I can take care of myself. There is no need for you to come over.” Shaina was still upset with what had happened with Junet. She wasn’t in the mood to deal with another Mahajan that day; one had already ruined her day. Shaina didn't give Shaka much time to respond and ended the phone.

 

Marin and Geist just stood there listening to what was going on. They saw Shaina make her way back to the sofa and take a seat. Shaina closed her eyes as soon as she got in a comfortable position. She was going to rest as much as she could. She would even sleep all day if she wanted to and it wasn't going to be because Shaka had advised her to do. Marin and Geist made their back to the sofa as well. Neither one knew when things between Junet and Shaina would go back to how they were. Marin took the liberty of cleaning up the coffee table, as Geist sat beside her sister and turned the TV on. Marin walked towards the kitchen and placed the cups on the dishwasher. As she began to fill the kettle with water, deep down she hoped that Shaka would ignore Shaina’s request. She had a feeling he was worried about her or else Shaina would had never told him not to stop by. Marin knew Shaina needed support and who better to give it than the man that was the father of the baby her best friend was carrying.

 

 

 

**_ May 29th 5pm _ **

 

Shaka drove up to the driveway of his parents’ home and noticed that his sister’s car was already there. He had gone to Junet's apartment and waited for an hour, but she never arrived. His mother had called him to let him know that it seemed that Junet was parked in their driveway. Now that Shaka had arrived, he saw the car but his sister had already gone in. Shaka entered the house and saw that his mother and grandmother were sitting in the living room watching something on TV. Shaka noticed that his father was nowhere to be seen, which most likely meant, that the man was in his office, reading or meditating. Aishwarya noticed her son come in and quickly got up from the sofa.

 

“She finally came in ten minutes ago. Junet is really angry; she didn't talk to either one of us when she came in.” Aishwarya said with a worried tone. “She just came in the house, looked at us and went to her old bedroom.”

 

“I’ll take care of it.” Shaka answered before he made his way down the to Junet’s old room.

 

Shaka knocked on the door that belonged to his sister’s room. No sound came from the other side, so he knocked once more. Shaka turned the doorknob and opened the unlocked door, as his sister had never answered. Junet was sitting on the window bench looking outside. She ignored the person that had been knocking at her door and didn't even turn to see who had entered the room. Junet was still angry at what she had learned that afternoon.

 

“Why didn't you tell me?” Junet asked in a low voice. Somehow she just knew that it had been her brother who had entered. “You told my parents and you told Dadi, but you didn't tell me.”

 

Shaka walked into the room and took a seat at the foot of the bed. He didn't answer; he would let her talk until she said her peace. It was the only way to try and settle things without getting into an argument with her.

 

“I asked her once if she liked you. I asked once if she had slept with you and both times her answer was no.” Junet said as she continued to look out the window. “She lied to me and you kept all this from me. You could have told me that you both had slept together in Vegas. You could have told me that you had gotten married to her.”

 

Shaka listened to what his sister was saying. It was obvious she knew most, if not all of what had happened. He continued to remain silent. He knew that she wasn’t finished with her what she had to say.

 

“To make matters worse, she's pregnant. She is expecting a child. Your child! You are having a child with her” Junet knew she was going too far, but she was too angry to care.

 

“That's enough.” Shaka’s voice was calm, yet his tone demanded for her to stop. “Junet, you are angry and when you are, you say things that you won't be able to take back.”

 

“She lied to my face, Shaka.” Junet finally turned to look at him. She felt rage for being kept in the dark by the people she loved. “She was too ashamed to tell me that she married you. She is ashamed of you and at being married to you.”

 

Junet turned completely from the window bench and stood up. She walked up to where her brother was sitting and sat by his side. They remained silent.

 

“You are my brother and I will always be on your side.” Junet placed her hand on top of his and looked at him. She gave him a small smile as if reassuring her position in whatever would happen to him and his wife. “I'm on your side.”

 

“Shaina and I got married and not in the best circumstances. I was willing to take responsibility for our marriage the day it happened, just like I am now.” Shaka explained as he looked at his sister. “We were both excessively drunk and we both consented in doing what we did. There are no sides to take here because we both are equally responsible for our actions.”

 

“She doesn't love you or likes you for that matter.” Junet said a little more calmly. It hurt her to see her brother being married to someone that didn’t love him. She didn’t think Shaina would be the type of woman to ever fall in love with him.

 

“That is something I am well aware of.” Shaka said.

 

“She thinks you are a stick in the mud.” Junet added.

 

“Junet, I'm pretty sure there are moments she thinks of me in worse ways.” Shaka said trying for Junet to get the point. If he would let her go on with what Shaina thought about him, Junet would never finish. “It's not an easy thing what she is going through. I asked her for the opportunity and now after everything that's happening I'm getting it. It is my duty as her husband that she is well cared for. It will be my duty to take care of our child that she is carrying.”

 

“She is not an easy person to get along with.” Junet said with a small smile on her face. “She's going to give you hell.”

 

“She won't have it easy as well.” Shaka said with a smile on his face.

 

“I feel sorry for your kid now. With parents like both of you; it will most likely run for the hills.” Junet laughed at her brother’s expression.

 

Junet laughed even more at her brother. Whatever would happen between Shaka and Shaina, the child would always be part of them. The baby would be a blend of two people that were strong minded, yet it would have great qualities from both. Junet hugged her brother tightly and told him how much she loved him. She couldn't stay mad at Shaka for not telling her about getting married to one of her closest friends. Junet realized that she needed to give Shaina time and space before she would go talk to her. She needed to apologize to her and at the same time hear her out. The best way to get the entire story would be if she had both of them together and hear them out. Junet needed to hear the entire story. It was something she needed to understand in order to move past it.

 

 


	6. Chapter 6

" _What is the feelin' takin' over?_

_Thinkin' no one could open my door_

_Surprise...It's time_

_To feel what's real_

_What happened to Miss Independent?_

_No more the need to be defensive_

_Goodbye, old you"_

_-_ Kelly Clarkson (Miss Independent)

 

**Chapter 6**

 

**_ May 30th 5 pm _ **

 

Shaina sat on the plush chair of her father's office. She had meant to go to the foundation before heading home that day. She still had a conversation pending with her father and they hadn't talked much after the ambush at his house. Certain things needed to be cleared out and one of them was her marriage.

 

Shaina looked around at the recently redecorated office her father had. There were a lot of memories in that office alone. She couldn't help but smile at the ones that would cross her mind. Her father had done everything in his power to be a businessman and a full-time father at the same time. There were Josephina and Martha, who would always help around, but her father tried his best to be there. As a daughter and as a mother to be, she would take everything she had learned and apply it. She would make sure that as a single parent she would be there for her child.

 

The doors to the office opened, bringing Shaina out of her thoughts. Her father had come in followed by a short woman with light brown hair, his father's assistant, Theia. The woman was always around; she was her father's companion and right-hand man. Shaina smiled as she saw both of them walk in discussing business like if she wasn't even there. Sage and Theia concluded their discussion and turned their attention towards the woman sitting in one of the chairs.

 

"Shaina! Oh my goodness, I haven't seen you for some time now. How are you?" Theia went around the desk and hugged her.

 

"I'm doing well as can be expected." Shaina gained a look from Theia which said enough.

 

"Try to rest and eat snacks in between meals. I remember how it used to help me." Theia advised which only reaffirmed what Shaina suspected. Theia got close to her once more and whispered for only Shaina to hear. "By the way, you have a very good looking husband, congratulations."

 

Shaina didn't know what to answer. She wasn't surprised that Theia knew what was going on in her life. That woman had been close to her and her siblings as an aunt or even a second mom. Shaina gave the woman a small smile and didn't comment on the looks of her so called husband. The sound of Sage clearing his throat was enough of a warning for both women to stop their conversation.

 

"I'll catch up with you as soon as I can." The small woman said as she picked several of the folders off of the desk. "I'll hold all your calls, Sir."

 

With that being said Theia left the room, closing the door behind her. Sage took a seat in his chair and placed his phone on the desk. He still had a lot to take care of before his trip to Athens. One of those things he had to take care of was sitting across from him. Sage wasn't going to leave the country until things were clear between him and his daughter. The ticking of the wall clock was the only thing that could be heard in the office. Sage needed a minute or two before he would begin speaking to his daughter. He also needed that minute or two to see if Theia would come back in or not. There was no doubt that sooner or later Theia would make her way back into the office and check in on them. That woman was attentive to the people that would meet with him, especially his children.

 

"Do you want something to eat, something to drink?" Sage asked as he separated some of the folders on his desk.

 

"No! Nothing right now, thank you." Shaina leaned back on the chair to make herself more comfortable.

 

"Are you going to tell me in your own words what happened or do I continue to fill in the blanks?" Sage leaned back in his chair and gave his daughter his full attention.

 

"I don't think there is more to add, to what you already have." Shaina hoped that would be a good enough answer for him.

 

"You got married in Las Vegas while being drunk, with a man you have spoken to... What? Five to ten times since the day you met him. The annulment was rejected and you are now on probation for a year. To make matters worse, you're pregnant." Sage placed his elbows on the desk and leaned in. "Have I missed anything?"

 

"No, you have it all down. " Shaina said carelessly.

 

"Tell me, Shaina, when do you expect to get your life together?" Sage knew he would be hitting a nerve, but he was getting tired of his daughter's indifference towards the matter.

 

"My life is as put together as can be." Shaina looked at him defiantly.

 

"You got married while you were drunk, Shaina!" Sage raised his voice. He opened the folder he had on top of his desk and placed it open in front of her to see. Her wedding pictures were all there for her to see. The look on his daughter's face was pure shock and embarrassment. "Is that what you're life put together looks like? You made out in front of perfect strangers. Not only that, but your husband is also a stranger."

 

"It was a tiny big mistake which I'll correct next year. By this time next year, I won't be married." Shaina pointed out as she looked at her father. There was slight uncertainty in her words as she heard herself say them. It made her consider that maybe she didn't believe them in their entirety.

 

"You'll have a child. A child that will attach you to a man you aren't willing to try a marriage with." Saga's voice went back to normal. It surprised him that Theia hadn't appeared with refreshment like every time he had problems with his kids. "I don't know what's worse Shaina, this situation you are in right now or the one you were in several years ago?"

 

"By far, this is the worse," Shaina mumbled to herself.

 

"This isn't a joke Shaina!" Sage raised his voice once more as he slammed his hands on the desk.

 

"I'm not joking!" Shana raised her voice as well.

 

"This isn't you and what's his name, three years ago. You've yelled at me so many times that you are not your mother and twice now..." They were both shouting at one another once more.

 

"I'm not like her!" Shaina yelled back, interrupting whatever her father was about to say. The look that she was giving her father had said it all. She felt insulted by being compared to the woman that had given birth to her. There was one thing she never liked and that was being compared to that woman. "Don't you ever compare me to her, don't you ever."

 

"Then stop making idiotic mistakes, Shaina. You're pregnant!" Sage straightened himself up on the chair. He needed a short break, enough to calm himself down. Somehow he needed to get through to his daughter and make her see that even though she had made a mistake, there could be a silver lining to all of it. Sage grabbed the file he had on his daughter, closed it and placed it on the side. He gathered his words and made sure he had regained himself before speaking. "Shaka Mahajan is a good man, Shaina; I've known his family for many years. He is highly educated; he is a good doctor and someone that the foundation has had its eye on since his residency."

 

"He's great on paper. That's not going to be enough to make me want to make a life with him." Shaina had finally lowered her tone. She was now trying to dismiss what her father was telling her.

 

"If there is one thing I am sure of, in all this mess, it's that your husband will be there for you and for your child. Whether the two of you separate or not, he will be there." Sage said as he had taken a moment to clear his thoughts. The yelling had subsided and he hoped that they wouldn't do it anymore.

 

"I don't need for him to be there for me. I don't need for him to take care of me or the child that I am carrying." Shaina said dryly. She wanted for her father to understand that she didn't need Shaka Mahajan in her life.

 

"I know you say you don't need him, but in the end, you will need someone by your side. Someone that will walk the same road you will and believe me, he will be the only one that will truly understand you. Because he will be going through the same thing as you will. You will be sharing your child, a responsibility that only you two will carry." Sage loved his daughter, but it was time for her to start seeing things a little differently. It wasn't only her anymore, there was a lot more than just her. "You are my daughter and what I want the most is for you to be happy. I know that I'm not the best example when it comes to marriage, but I want you to try. Make this marriage work. Do this to prove me wrong."

 

Shaina looked down at her hands and swallow hard. Hearing her father plead wasn't something she liked to hear. Several tears ran down her face. She could see the small droplet fall from her chin to the back of her hand. She kept her head down and wiped her tears. Shaina placed her hands back on her lap and finally noticed that she was wearing her wedding ring. She didn't remember when she had put it on that morning. It was the oddest thing. Shaina wiped her cheek once again, as she felt the tears run down.

 

Neither Sage nor Shaina had heard when Theia had opened the door to the office. She had made her way to the desk with a tray filled with a pitcher of water and a couple of glasses. Theia noticed that Sage was about to get up and with her hand, she asked him to sit back down. Theia picked a couple of tissues from the box that she had placed on the tray and handed them to Shaina. Theia didn't have to say a word, she simply poured them both water in each glass and proceed to placing them on the desk. The older woman finished her task and hugged the younger woman. Theia kissed the top of Shaina's head and left without saying much.

 

Sage looked at the woman go in and out of his office. He had spoken too soon when he thought that Theia wouldn't walk into his office. That woman had taken care of Shaina and Geist, and at times, even Mani. He didn't know how he could have survived all the years without her. Sage looked at his daughter and waited for her to calm herself. It was something different to see his daughter cry while they were arguing. Shaina was always very stubborn when it would come to arguing. She never gave up that easily; her bad temper would always get the best of her. Now that he saw her in tears, he couldn't help but smile a bit to himself. There was a small window of hope that with this pregnancy Shaina would soften up.

 

 

**_ May 30th 8 pm _ **

 

Shaka took a long drink from his water bottle as he stands on the corner racquetball court where he had placed his water bottle. Mu walked up to where he had left his bottled water and picked it up. Mu glanced at his friend as he saw how Shaka stood there looking at the court. Shaka placed the bottle back on the floor and took in a deep breath. He grabbed his racquet from where he had left it and waited for Mu to finish resting. He had asked Mu if he wanted to go play after work, but the game didn't help to clear his head. Since the day of the hearing, his mind hadn't stopped thinking of everything that needed to be done. There was so much happening that not even meditating had helped. Shaka turned to look at his friend and noticed that Mu was taking a drink from his bottle.

 

"So are you going to tell me what's been going in your mind or am I going to have to look for another person to play with," Mu said before taking another drink from his bottle. "You were so into the match that I can barely catch my breath."

 

"Nothing is going on, I just really felt like playing today, that's all," Shaka said hoping that Mu would catch on quickly. He didn't want to say anything but he knew that everything would have to be out soon. "Come on."

 

"Let's play then." Mu placed his water bottle back on the floor and walked towards the serving zone.

 

Once they both got in place, Mu served the ball and the game began again. Both men played in silence, only with the occasional grunt. Mu was running around trying to keep up, but there had been a few times that he had almost crashed into the wall. He knew something was wrong with his friend. Shaka wasn't an aggressive player but he was sure giving him a run for his money. There were a couple of times that Mu had noticed how hard Shaka was hitting the ball. There was definitely something going on with his friend. Mu was grateful when he heard his smartwatch go off.

 

"It's time already?" Shaka asked as he walked over to where he had placed his water bottle.

 

"Yeah…" Mu answered between breaths. He picked up the rubber racquetball that had rolled away. "I have to get home and relieve the babysitter. She said she couldn't stay longer tonight because she has school tomorrow."

 

Shaka didn't add more to it, as his friend had just answered a question he was thinking of asking him. He took a drink from his water bottle and couldn't help but wonder if that situation was ever going to happen to him. He couldn't picture himself rushing home to relieve the babysitter because she was taking care of his child. He couldn't picture himself having a child in his life yet that would be happening in the months to come. Shaka leaned his back on the wall and took another drink of water as he continued to think about the months ahead. Mu noticed the look on his friend's face as he went to pick up his water bottle from the floor. He had to ask now before they would walk out of the court and call it a night.

 

"Alright, I give, I have to ask. What is going on with you?" Mu asked before he took a drink from his bottle. He swallowed several gulps of water before he tried once more. His friend just looked at him but wouldn't answer. "Does this have anything to do with your hearing? It does, doesn't it?"

 

"We were denied annulment. We will continue to be married until our next hearing, which will take place a year from now. The judge called it a probation period and annulment, or divorce, in this case, will be granted only if we meet the requirements." Shaka said dryly as he looked at his friend.

 

"Probation, you're kidding, right?" Mu shook his head as if not believing what he was hearing. "Did the judge say why? Did you ask Aioros to look into getting it overturned?"

 

"The judge gave his reason as to the why of his ruling. Aioros said that he would try to look into it, but he didn't see the chances of another judge trying to overturn the ruling." Shaka took another drink from his water bottle. "The requirements are simple; Shaina and I move in together and try to work on our marriage like a normal married couple would. We have to report to marriage counseling once a week once we finally move in together."

 

Mu blinked as he took in the words of his friend. He understood why his friend was now acting the way he was while playing. It explained so much, yet not all. Mu didn't know what to ask first as his head was now full of more questions he needed to ask.

 

"So all you have to do is live with your wife, who is Shaina, for an entire year. I don't know whether to congratulate you or give you my sincerest condolences." Mu couldn't help laugh at what he had just said. The look on Shaka told Mu he was not amused by what he had just said. "Oh come on, weren't you the one that wanted to stay married because of your convictions?"

 

"Shaina's pregnant," Shaka said dryly.

 

Mu choked on the water he was drinking. He coughed a couple of times before he would be able to turn and look at his friend. Mu grabbed his towel and cleaned off his mouth and chin. He turned to look at his friend once more, completely in shock at what he had heard.

 

"Is it yours?" Mu had to ask kicking himself mentally in the process. He didn't think Shaina would be the type to lie to Shaka, but the words had already left his mouth and there was no way he could retract himself from them.

 

"Yes, I went with her to her first prenatal appointment this past week to confirm it myself. I don't see Shaina as the type to lie to me about the child being mine." Shaka said as he grabbed his small towel and began heading off the court. Not knowing that he had just said the same thing Mu already knew. "Obviously we didn't use any protection back in Vegas."

 

"Obviously," Mu said sarcastically as they made their way to the locker room. Mu and Shaka walked into the locker room in silence as Mu chewed on the idea of his friend becoming a father. "How is she doing? Shaina, how is she taking all this in?"

 

"She's not too happy about the probation, as for becoming a mother, I don't know. We haven't talked much about our situation. Our parents are well aware of our marriage and the pregnancy now. Sage Rinaldi, Shaina's father, decided to gather us this past Saturday. I think you can guess that Junet isn't on any speaking terms with Shaina at the moment." Shaka let it all out, not completely all, but mostly everything that had taken place in the past week. "As for Shaina and the pregnancy… I went to see her yesterday late in the afternoon and she is dealing with morning sickness and doesn't seem to be holding much food in her stomach."

 

Mu looked at his friend and took everything in as he was hearing it. The information that Shaka was giving him about Shaina's health sounded more like if Shaka was giving information about a patient. Mu let it go for the time being. If he would say anything about it Shaka would just completely stop sharing, and it was obvious to anyone that knew him, that Shaka needed to vent everything that was going on. Mu asked a question here and there just to make sure he would get all the details. Mu and Shaka continued their conversation all the way to the parking lot until each got in their separate vehicle and went their separate way.

 

 

**_ May 31st 6:50pm _ **

 

Junet sat on the couch holding a cup filled with hot tea that Mu had just given her. She had just put her phone on vibrate and placed it back in her purse. She had gotten a couple of text messages from Marin, but she had ignored them all. She didn't feel like talking to her, not after what had happened that Sunday. She took a drink from the hot liquid and placed the cup back on the coffee table. Mu took a seat on the couch where she sat.

 

"Sorry for the wait, but I had to make sure that Kiki would be entertained long enough for us not to be interrupted," Mu said as he took a sip of his tea. "I'm surprised you wanted to talk to me. It must be something that you can't talk to your brother or friends about."

 

"Something like that. I found out that Shaina slept with Shaka." Junet looked at Mu for any reaction from him, but he remained silent and waited for her to continue. "They've been sleeping together since Vegas. They even got married and they told no one."

 

Junet took her cup from the coffee table and drank some of her tea. She needed a moment to calm herself. Even if things had ended well when she spoke to Shaka, it still made her mad that they had done things behind everyone's back. She took another drink from her cup and once again placed the cup back on the table.

 

"Shaina's is expecting a child now." Junet tried to keep her anger in check, but it was getting a bit hard. She was the type that wore her emotions on her sleeve. "I almost called her a whore."

 

"Junet" Mu said, surprised that Junet had almost insulted her best friend.

 

"I told her that my brother was too good for her and that my brother was the one that was stuck with a whore. I never said the word, but she did challenge me to say it." Junet couldn't meet Mu's eyes. She felt bad that things had gone far, but she was still upset. "How can she sleep around with my brother and not tell me? They got married in Vegas and none of us knew."

 

"Junet, I knew that your brother had gotten married. I found out the day after when I was looking for your brother." Mu said as he looked for the best words to explain to Junet and try not to get her upset. "I texted your brother that Sunday because he wouldn't answer the door to the room he was staying in. He texted me that back telling me he had changed rooms. To my surprise, it was one of the honeymoon suites of the hotel."

 

"You knew? Why didn't you say anything?" Junet asked.

 

"It wasn't my place, Junet. They needed to fix what needed to be fixed and if they didn't want anyone to know, it was their choice." Mu said before taking his cup of tea. "Your brother will always do what is right and he will do right by Shaina and by his child. And before you even think it, I would doubt that Shaina would be the type to sleep around and then tell Shaka he is going to be a father."

 

Junet's face went red with embarrassment. Out of anger, the thought had crossed her mind. She knew Shaina well enough for her to know that she would never do such a thing. Especially, since they were trying to get an annulment. Shaina would have waited until their annulment had gone through before even thinking of looking for someone else. It was proof enough that they had ended in bed after the dinner at Sazerac.

 

"You have to give Shaina a chance. After all, she is now your sister-in-law and even if after all this they would go their separate ways. She will still be your friend, your sister-in-law and the mother of your niece or nephew." Mu said as he took his cup with tea and finished it.

 

"I know. I can't believe that Shaina would end up being the person that my brother would marry. Think about it; they are like polar opposites." Junet said sitting back on the couch. "That day at the restaurant they were giving each other such a hard time. Come to think about it, I am not surprised that they ended up sleeping together."

 

"You know, you need to make things right with Shaina. If not for Shaina, then do it for your brother." Mu said while completely ignoring the last thing Junet had said.

 

"I need time. Things are fine with my brother, but with Shaina, it's just different." Junet looked at Mu and noticed that he just observed her. She would give anything at that moment to kiss him. Just the way he was looking at her made her heart swell. All the emotions she was feeling at that moment and the only person she could think of telling was Shaina. "Give me time. That's all I ask."

 

"Would you care for some more tea?" Mu asked noticing hers and his empty cup.

 

"Sure, that would be great." Junet accepted his offer.

 

Mu stood up and took both cups with him to the kitchen. Junet decided to take her phone out and checked to see if she had anymore missed calls or text messages. She noticed that Marin had sent one more text message telling her she was leaving the gym. That's when Junet checked the time. She didn't believe how time had flown by. It felt like they had just been talking for a few minutes, but that wasn't the case. As Junet placed her phone back inside her purse; Mu was already heading back into the living room with two cups of hot tea. He had seen her put her phone back inside her and wondered who she had been talking to.

 

"Was that Shaina?" Mu asked as he gave her the cup of tea.

 

"No, that was actually Marin. I kind of stood her up at the gym and I've been kind of avoiding her altogether." Junet said while looking down at her cup. She felt like a stupid child sometimes.

 

"May I ask why?" Mu pushed a little, he wanted to make Junet put into words what was really bugging her.

 

"Marin and Geist were there on Sunday. I was supposed to meet them there after lunch with my parents. Out of the four of us, Marin is less conflicting than the rest. She tries to be the peacemaker when we get into arguments and when she gets upset she is a bit more put together." Junet said finally looking up at him and sighed a little too exaggerated for her own good. "Obviously, Geist came to Shaina defense, which Marin tried to stop us from arguing even more. I went mouthy on her too, and I told her that I hoped she would think the same when Shaina would end up sleeping with her brother too."

 

Mu didn't know what to say. He tried not to laugh or even give the slightest idea that he was going to do so, but he found himself covering his mouth and cleared his throat to hide his smile. It was funny picturing Junet fighting and saying all those words. He remained quiet and let her continue telling everything she wished to share.

 

"I know it was dumb of me to say that. It's just that I was so angry and I'm still upset. So I've been avoiding her calls and text messages." Junet sighed as she thought about the entire situation. She took a deep breath and called herself; she realized that she was pouring all her thoughts to the man that she wanted to conquer his heart. The last thing she wanted for him to think was that she still acted like an immature girl. "I just need time. Can't things just freeze for a minute or two so that I could, I don't know, cool down for a bit?"

 

"Take as much time as you need, but also let them know that. Because the more you stay away the less easy it will be to get things back to how they were." Mu took a long sip from his tea and then set it back on the coffee table. He noticed the two mugs on the table and realized that he had taken out the mug that his late wife used and served Junet's tea in it. It was the oddest thing. He couldn't understand why he had done that. Mu dismissed that weird feeling he felt and concentrated in the woman he had sitting in front of him. "If you aren't up to calling her tonight, call her tomorrow. As for Geist, you are in the exact same shoes she is in. You argued with her sister and she feels and has the right to defend her."

 

Junet let the words that Mu said, sink in. She needed to make things right with Marin. She had to start with someone and Marin should be the one. She just didn't know how things would turn out between Shaina and her. Junet couldn't be the type of person that would hold resentment towards someone, especially if that someone was her best friend. They weren't the type to stay mad for long periods of time, they were Aries after all.

 

 

**_ May 31st 7:45 pm _ **

 

Marin walked out of the women's locker room at the gym. Junet had never shown up for their spinning class and Marin had stuck through the entire classes hoping that she would arrive. After the class was over Marin had rushed to the locker room and had taken a quick shower. It took a lot for Marin to get upset but if there was one thing she didn't like, it was being stood up. Marin took the elevator to the first floor and got out. She was too caught up in her thoughts to see who was getting in the elevator. She never heard someone call her name or that someone had tried to get her attention. Marin came out of her thoughts when she felt someone's hand on her shoulder. She was startled and quickly turned to see who had touched her, only to be greeted with a warm smile.

 

"I didn't mean to startle you. I kept calling your name, but you were too deep in thought." Aioria said as he noticed that look on her face.

 

"No, I'm sorry. I completely spaced and didn't hear you, or see you for that matter." Marin said with a small smile on her face.

 

"Were you leaving already?" Aioria asked.

 

"Yeah, the class I take already finished and as you can see I'm already done for the night," Marin answered while looking at the man in front of her. It had been years since she had last seen him, but he still looked as handsome as ever. "Well, I think I'll better go now. I don't want to keep you from your workout."

 

"You're not keeping me at all, I was just coming in. How about you and I go get a coffee or something?" Aioria asked. "We can catch up."

 

Marin thought about it for a minute. She was still upset that she had been stood up by Junet. The woman had not returned any of her text messages; which upset her even more. She couldn't say that she had plans; eating a packet of cookies wasn't exactly having plans. Marin noticed that the man was still standing there, in front of her, waiting for an answer.

 

"Sure, why not," Marin answered with a genuine smile on her face. "I would love to catch up."

 

"Great, there is a small cafe just a block or two away from here," Aioria said enthusiastically.

 

"I know which one you are talking about. Sounds good."

 

The two walked the busy streets of the city. It wasn't as big as New York, by any means, but it was just as busy nonetheless. Once they reached their destination, they entered the small cafe. It wasn't as full of people as it normally was during the day, but there was still quite a few. There was a small group sitting around a corner table discussing their book of the month. A couple of single people also scattered around the cafe; some were typing on their laptops, some were reading and others were just on their phones. Marin and Aioria stood at the line and ordered their coffee. Aioria had insisted on paying since he was the one that had invited her. Marin tried to insist that she would pay for hers but he had turned her down and had paid. Marin had picked a table that wasn't too close to the door or to anyone that might bother with their conversation. Aioria placed both coffees on the table and took the seat across from her.

 

"So, how's work?" Aioria asked. "Do you still work at the Flyin Apron?"

 

"Oh no, that was a long time ago," Marin said trying to hold in a laugh. "I work at another bakery. I bumped into Asterion one time, a few years back. We started to talk and he told me that he was working in this bakery and that they were looking for a new pastry chef. He was able to get me in a few weeks after we saw each other."

 

"Asterion? You mean the guy you went to school with back in college." Aioria asked.

 

"Yeah, that's the one. We've been working together ever since." Marin said as she noticed the expression on Aioria's face. "We aren't dating, just in case you were wondering."

 

"I wasn't thinking that." Aioria tried to say without sounding guilty that he had thought that. "Did you date him?"

 

"No, of course not." Marin laughed as she was no longer able to hold it in. "He is more of my plus one when it comes to events I get invited to. We do research on other chefs and critique their desserts. We are hoping to one day open our own shop."

 

"And how are the girls doing?" Aioria asked remembering Marin's group of friends.

 

"The girls are doing well. You met Junet the last time we bumped into each other at the gym.

 

She was the blonde girl, with bright blue eyes." Marin tried to describe her friend as best as she could. "The twins are doing well. Shaina travels a lot because of her work and Geist plans weddings for the many brides of this lovely city."

 

"I remember the twins the most. I haven't seen them in a long time." Aioria said before taking a sip of his coffee. "I am surprised all three of you are still single. I would think the three of you would have already been taken off the market, especially you."

 

"Shaina isn't single anymore. She got married a couple of months ago; they are expecting their first child." Marin said a bit unsure why she had shared that piece of information with her ex.

 

"Wow, out all you three. I wouldn't have imagined Shaina being the first one to get married." Aioria said with a light surprised tone in his voice.

 

"It was an extremely private wedding. Both Shaina and her husband hardly invited any guests. They wanted a more intimate affair." There was no pun intended to what she was trying to say, but it had come out that way. Luckily, Aioria wasn't aware of such thing. "What about you? Are you seeing anyone?"

 

"Not exactly, no," Aioria said before taking another sip of his coffee.

 

"How are things going for you at work?" Marin for some reason felt relieved to hear that he wasn't seeing someone. She was surprised that she even felt that.

 

"Things are good. When I first left here, they sent me to the office in Japan. I lived there for a year or two. After that, they sent me to Athens and I've been there ever since."

 

Marin drank the last of her coffee and sat the cup back in its place. He had broken her heart when she had refused to go with him. So, now the question she had to ask herself was why she was having coffee with him. She had been devastated that he had left her behind. He had never told her straight out that they were sending him out to Athens. When she had found out, he had sort of asked her to go with him. It hadn't been an actual invitation; there was also the fact that there wasn't an exact time as to when he would be coming back. That had been the breaking point for her. Now she sat across from him, in a small cafe, talking like if they were good old friends. Marin kicked herself mentally and told herself that it was time for her to leave. She looked at her watch and noticed that an hour had passed since they arrived.

 

"Oh my, it's already getting late and I have to be at the shop bright and early," Marin said picking up her gym bag.

 

"I'll walk you out," Aioria said as he was surprised by her sudden need to leave. "I can take you home if you like."

 

"That's not necessary; I can hail a cab and be on my way," Marin said as she stood and he followed. "I enjoyed catching up with you."

 

Marin and Aioria exited the cafe with Aioria leaving a couple of bills on the table as tip. Marin walked up to the edge of the sidewalk and hailed a cab. Several passed before one stopped in front of where she stood.

 

"It was nice seeing you," Marin said as Aioria opened the cab door for her.

 

"Would you like to go on a date with me?" Aioria asked before Marin got inside the cab.

 

"Um... I..." She didn't know what to answer.

 

"Come on, it's just a date. I promise I will be on my best behavior." Aioria said with a genuine smile on his face.

 

"Alright, it's just a date." Marin smiled back and proceeded by giving him her number.

 

"It's a date then," Aioria said as Marin entered the cab.

 

Once he closed the door, the cab began to move. Marin gave the driver the address where she was heading. She never looked back to the man she knew was still standing on the sidewalk. She rolled her eyes and kicked herself mentally once more. She couldn't believe she had accepted going out with him on a date. Yet, in the back of her mind, she knew why she had and she hated herself for it.

 

 

**_ June 1st 11 am _ **

 

Shaina sat in her office chair at work reading a book that the girl at the bookstore had recommended for first-time moms. She was reading of things she should expect to go through on her first trimester. After reading what her body would go through, she decided to put the book down. It was bad enough that her morning sickness had gotten worse as the days would go by. She had come close to emptying her stomach twice in the morning meeting that very day. As if on cue, her stomach decided to turn at that very moment. She grabbed her waste basket and emptied her stomach right there and then. Once she was done, she pulled out a small toiletry bag from the bottom drawer of her desk and made her way to the nearest ladies room. On her way to the restroom, Shaina had asked one of the girls to clean the mess she had left in the waste basket. As she finished freshening up, Shaina made her way back into her small office. She was greeted by someone she wasn't expecting to see. Shura Amezquita, her boss, sat on her chair, reading her pregnancy book. He looked up and smiled at her as she entered her small office. Shaina gave her best smile but was mortified beyond herself at seeing him there, with her book in hand.

 

"My wife read this book when we were expecting our first child," Shura said as he placed the book back on the desk. "I'm guessing this explains why I noticed you a bit off this morning. And by the way one of the girls removed the waste basket; I'm guessing you are having morning sickness."

 

"Sir... I…" Shaina didn't know what to say. She just hoped she didn't look like a deer caught in the headlights.

 

"There is no need for you to say anything; I completely understand that you were wondering how to tell me and HR that you are with child," Shura said as he leaned back in the plush leather chair. "Tell me, Shaina, how long ago did you get married?"

 

"Excuse me?" Shaina felt stupid playing dumb, but she wasn't expecting for her boss to ask that question.

 

"By the look of that ring that I noticed on your ring finger this morning. Something tells me that it hasn't been long." Shura said only to gain a nod from her as an answer. "HR received papers of your name change and then relayed the news to me. I would like to extend my congratulations to you and your husband."

 

"Thank you, sir. I apologize that I didn't let you know before…"

 

"There is no need. I understand that you would like to keep certain parts of your life private." Shura said as he waved off whatever she was trying to say. "Make sure to let HR know about your pregnancy. Also, keep me posted on whether you can make any of your flights."

 

"I will sir," Shaina said with firmness in her voice.

 

"You are one of my best employees, Shaina. You really have an eye for men's fashion and don't get me started with accessories." Shura praised her. He liked the way she worked with all the vendors. The fact that she wasn't easy to push around was just perfect. "That is all I came to talk to you about. Once you are done with HR, take the rest of the day off. If memory serves me well, my wife also had a very hard time with morning sickness.

 

"Thank you, sir," Shaina said as she saw her boss getting up from her chair.

 

Shura patted her shoulder and then walked out of her office. Shaina waited until he was completely out of sight before she even made a move to her desk. The call with HR took a good fifteen minutes with the occasional forwarding of emails between them. Once done, Shaina checked her schedule for the next day and then synced it with the calendar in her phone. She grabbed her purse from the bottom drawer of her desk and as she was about to place her phone inside, it began to ring. Shaina looked at the screen of her phone and didn't recognize the number. She let it go to voicemail and didn't think much about it. As she was once again going to place her phone inside her purse it rang again. The same number came up on her screen; it was a local number. Shaina gave in and answered the phone in her usual businesslike tone.

 

"Hello is this Shaina?" a woman asked.

 

"Yes, this is she. Who may I ask is speaking?" Shaina asked sounding professional.

 

"This is Madhuri, Madhuri Mahajan, Shaka and Junet's grandmother." the woman on the other side of the line said.

 

"Oh... Hello, Mrs. Mahajan. What can I do for you today?" Shaina continued with the same tone of voice.

 

"Well, I was wondering if I could meet you and my grandson for lunch. I just spoke to him a few minutes ago and he has agreed." Madhuri informed. "Can you make it dear?"

 

"Sure, Mrs. Mahajan, just let me know when you would like for us to meet," Shaina said as she opened the calendar on her computer.

 

"How about in thirty minutes? There is a lovely bistro I like to go to."

 

"Thirty minutes? Right now? Uh..." Shaina didn't know what to say, she couldn't think of a way to get out of this fast enough. "I really can't right now."

 

"Nonsense dear, we'll meet you at the bistro in thirty minutes," Madhuri said with cheerfulness in her voice. "I'll see you soon dear. Goodbye."

 

Shaina heard the call end and she still had the phone close to her ear. She pulled it away and looked at the screen. She asked herself what had just happened. Madhuri Mahajan had invited her to lunch without her say in it. Shaina remembered meeting the woman a few times, but she couldn't remember much about her. Her phone chimed at that very moment with the address of the bistro. Shaina was still a bit taken back by the whole conversation that had taken place. Lunch with her husband and his grandmother was definitely not part of her plans for the day. Shaina resigned to thinking further about what had happened and called for one of the company cars to be ready for her in ten minutes. She turned off her computer and placed the phone inside her purse as well as the pregnancy book. Shaina grabbed her purse and walked out of her office. She just wished it was to go home instead of lunch with her husband and his grandmother.

 

 

**_ June 1st 1:45 pm _ **

 

"I want you to pick your bedroom set. It's my wedding gift to you both." Madhuri said as she looked at the couple standing in front of her. "You think I suggested coming here for me? Nope, this is all about you both."

 

"Mrs. Mahajan, you really don't have to do this. We'll be fine using my bedroom set, or even Shaka's." Shaina said as she turned to look at her 'husband' for some support.

 

"Please, none one of this Mrs. Mahajan, dear. Call me Madhuri or Dadi, I insist; we are family now Shaina." Madhuri said before Shaka had any chance of speaking. "Look around, let's see what you both would like in your bedroom."

 

Shaina and Shaka just looked at the woman that stood in front of them. Shaina felt like things were getting out of hand. This wasn't a real marriage; they weren't going to stay together after they would complete their year probation. First, her father bought them a house, Shaka's mother wanting to buy things for the baby and now his grandmother wanting to buy them furniture. She had to put a stop to this craziness, from the house to the baby things and now furniture.

 

"Mrs. Mahajan, could you please give me a moment with your grandson?" Shaina asked as nicely as possible. "It will just take a minute."

 

"No problem, I'll walk ahead and see what they have on display," Madhuri said as she returned the smile. She was about to turn to leave, but before she did, she directed herself towards Shaina. "Call me Madhuri, dear."

 

"Yes, of course, Madhuri. Thank you." Shaina said with a smile.

 

Madhuri turned on her heel and began to walk ahead, leaving the couple behind. Shaina waited until Madhuri was out of earshot before she turned and directed herself towards Shaka.

 

"This is getting out of hand. We are just going to be married for a year." Shaina kept her voice down, but she sounded a little upset. "I can't let your grandmother buy us furniture. Your mother wants to buy things for the baby and that is nothing I can stop her from doing so. I just can't let your grandmother buy us furniture."

 

"My grandmother knows what she is doing and if buying us furniture is what she wants I won't stop her. It's exactly the same thing with your father buying us the house." Shaka said making sure that Shaina would get the idea that he wasn't too happy with what her father had done. "What? Do you think that your father is the only one allowed to buy us things?"

 

Shaina didn't say anything else in return. She hadn't really much thought about her father purchasing the house and how it really would bother her now husband. It was bugging him, he hadn't said it upfront but the meaning was there. Shaina had to give his family this much.

 

"Fine, I'll accept the gift from your grandmother. But I want to make it clear right now; I am not going to pick birch wood furniture. I have always disliked it." Shaina said looking at him a bit more relaxed and tried to lighten the mood with her last comment.

 

"Shall we go?" Shaka said as he relaxed a bit himself, thankful that the situation hadn't escalated into an argument.

 

"Yeah, let's go," Shaina said repositioning her purse on her shoulder.

 

Shaka and Shaina walked up to Madhuri, who was standing in front of the mattress sets. She was busy talking to one of the salespeople about the mattresses. The man that she was talking to noticed the couple that had approached them. He smiled politely and continued informing Madhuri of the quality of the mattresses. Madhuri turned and looked at the couple with a smile on her face. She honestly, liked the way they looked together. They were a very good looking couple, Shaina was a very beautiful woman and Shaka was handsome, her grandson was a very handsome man. Madhuri introduced the couple to the salesperson and asked to be shown the best mattresses they had. The salesperson showed them three sets that were among the top sold in their store. Madhuri didn't hesitate in asking all the information the man had on the mattresses. Every so often she would remind him that Shaina was expecting a baby. Every time she would say it, it was filled with such pride.

 

"Shaina, lie down and tell me what you think. I need for you to tell me which one is the one that you want." Madhuri said and then looked at her grandson. "What are you waiting for son? Lie on the bed, tell me what you think."

 

"Well, this is uncomfortable," Shaina said as she lay next to Shaka in bed. "I could just keep my own mattress."

 

"Nonsense dear, you both need to get everything new," Madhuri said as the couple sat up and got out of the bed. "Why don't you try the next one? I heard that it's one of the best."

 

Shaina slowly sat on the bed and then laid down as best possible. The movement of lying in bed and then getting up wasn't sitting well with her. Shaina hardly felt that Shaka had laid beside her. The mattress was really comfortable and if they stayed in that position any longer, Shaina could easily fall asleep.

 

"So what do you think of this one?" The salesperson asked.

 

"It's very comfortable," Shaina said as she began to sit up slowly; gaining a few looks from the others.

 

"Sweetheart, are you okay?" Madhuri asked with concern written all over her face.

 

"I'm fine; I just need to take it slowly before the nausea gets worse." Shaina sat on the edge of the bed. Shaka had made his way to the side where she was and sat next to her.

 

"Is it possible to get a bottled water?" Shaka asked the salesperson. Once the man left to get some water, Shaka turned and looked at his wife. "We can do this some other day. As soon as the salesperson comes back with the water, I'll take you home."

 

"That's not necessary. Just give me a few minutes and I'll be okay." Shaina said finally looking at Shaka. She gave him her best smile and then looked at Madhuri, who still had a worried look on her face. "I'm fine. Besides, I think I found the mattress I like. What do think?"

 

"Yeah, this mattress seems comfortable," Shaka said still looking at her with concern. He received a look from Shaina that told him to stop with all the fuss. He shook his head and directed his attention to his grandmother. "This mattress will do Dadi."

 

"Excellent! Now, all we have to do is for you both to find the bedroom furniture that will go with this king size mattress." Madhuri turned to look for the salesperson who was heading back towards them with a bottled water.

 

Once the salesperson made it back to them, Madhuri informed them that they would take that style of mattress. After Shaina drank her water and began to feel better, they all headed to the many bedroom set displays they had around the store.

 

**__ **

**_ June 4th 2:30 pm _ **

 

"Okay, now don't move," Geist said as she began mending part of the wedding dress. The bride's dog had decided to play with part of the train of the dress.

 

"It's ruined, my whole wedding is ruined." The bride continued with her sulking as Geist worked on the dress.

 

"It will be fine just give me two more minutes and this dress will be as good as new." Geist fixed the dress as best as she could. Once she cut the last piece of thread she stood back and checked her work. "You see, it's like if nothing happened."

 

"Oh my, Geist, that is amazing." The bride was ecstatic as Geist held up a large hand mirror and showed the bride the where she had fixed the dress. "You've saved my dress. You've saved my wedding. I don't know how I am going to repay you for what you have done."

 

"Just live happily ever after and have lots of babies." Geist smiled at the bride. Truth be told Geist felt bad for the woman in front of her. She doubted that the couple would reach their fifth anniversary. The groom had a wandering eye, and Geist wasn't surprised that it had wandered right up to the maid of honor.

 

Geist grabbed her sewing kit from the small table and went to place it back inside her bag. Her assistant came up to her and informed her that they couldn't find the buttoners for the groom and groomsmen. Geist picked her bag up and headed down to the room where they had set everything down. After searching for a good ten minutes, they had found their box under a box filled with ribbons and pieces of fabric. Geist gave the buttoners to her assistant and told her that they would be starting in ten minutes; everyone had to be in place.

 

Once the bride had started walking down the aisle, Geist had stood in a place where she could see the entire event. Services usually took an hour or so, but she still had to make sure everything ran smoothly. The party was another thing altogether. She literally fed the best man's speech into his ear without anyone knowing. She had made sure that the champagne continued to be served and that every guest got a piece of cake. The guest began to leave right after the newlyweds had left. After an hour of making sure everything was put away properly and things went where they were supposed to. Geist made her way to the one place she knew she could take a break.

 

A very sleepy looking Shaina greeted Geist as she had opened the door. It was already past eight at night and Shaina seemed like she had been in bed for a few hours. Geist set the food containers on the dining table and grabbed a couple of glasses from the kitchen cabinet. Shaina took a seat at the dining table and waited for her sister to bring the rest of the things. The doorbell went off and Shaina got back up to let the rest of the guest in. Geist had invited Marin and Violate for a girl's night in, seeing as Shaina wasn't feeling well for some time.

 

"Shaina, you look comfortable," Marin said trying to be polite.

 

"I look like crap and we all know it." Shaina took a seat at the dining table.

 

"Bad day princess?" Violate asked as she took a seat.

 

"Bad day, bad time, a bad part of my life..." Shaina went on and on, she was really testy that day.

 

"Alright, drama queen we get it," Geist said as she passed the food containers to each person. "You're pregnant, we get it."

 

"Have you been able to keep anything down today?" Marin asked with a look of concern.

 

"No. I haven't been able to do anything today." Shaina said opening the container full of food. Everything looked good, even the smell was pleasing.

 

"Did he come by at all today?" Violate asked while opening a container as well.

 

"No, why would he? I don't need him here, he did enough already." Shaina said taking a fork full of food. "This is my penance for having sex with him."

 

"Well actually, you got married to him, and then you slept with him. And if I didn't know you better, I would say it was several times and with you on top." Geist corrected. She knew her sister was testy, but there was no way she would let the facts slip by.

 

"Geist, shut up." Shaina was annoyed.

 

"Hmm... So it's a yes on you being on top." Geist took some of her food with a small smirk. "Fine, I'll drop it, but at least he managed to put a ring on you before having his way with you."

 

"I think that's beside the point, Geist." Marin chimed in. "Has he called at least?"

 

"Yes, every day he calls. Every day he sends me a text asking how I'm doing, and if I've eaten, and wanting to know what I ate. Every single day is the same thing." Shaina said handing her phone to Marin so that she could see for herself. "He wants to know everything that goes on with me and the baby."

 

"Well he's interested, he's showing concern." Violate pointed out.

 

"He's becoming a pain," Shaina mumbled.

 

"I don't get it." Marin voiced her opinion on the matter. "We want a man that's there for us. Someone who is interested in what we do and care for us. We always complain that there is no man out there who takes their time getting to know us and as soon as we get one, they become a pain."

 

"Marin, this isn't as simple. This is a man that is my husband by law and by pure mistake." Shaina explained.

 

"Was it really just a mistake?" Marin looked at her friend as she questioned her statement. She didn't want to be mean to her, but lately, all her friend would do was complain. "I would like to have what you have right now, maybe not in the same circumstances, but most of what you have."

 

"I didn't know you wanted a baby?" Geist asked her friend.

 

"I just feel like its time and the right one just doesn't come. I would like to get married and have a family." Marin said before taking a sip of her water. "You know my little brother's married and his wife is due any day now. Every time I get to see them, I want that."

 

"I'm sorry," Shaina said before getting out of her chair. She walked up to the side table and took a tissue from the box. The three women looked at her as Shaina wiped her tears. "Stupid hormones."

 

Marin, Geist, and Violate laughed at a very vulnerable Shaina. It wasn't every day that they would get to see her shed a couple of tears. Especially for something as simple as Marin sharing her wants.

 

 

**_ June 6th 12 am _ **

 

Aioria opened the door to the passenger's side, to help his date out of the car. It had been a lovely evening, something that Marin hadn't imagined. Several years had passed since she had last seen him and she couldn't help but feel a small connection that still existed between them. She didn't want to get ahead of herself, not again, not with him. Marin stepped out of the car and into the busy street of the city. Their date had consisted of a movie and dinner, which had helped with the weird awkwardness that she felt.

 

That Marin had drunk a little too much was an understatement. She had down three shots in a matter of minutes. It was something that she had surprised even herself, but her excuse had been simple; she had been nervous about being around him. Marin stumbled a little as she took several steps towards the door of the building where she lived. Aioria quickened his step as soon as he closed the door to his car. He was pretty sure this wasn't the first time Marin had drank too much and by the way, she walked it seemed like she had a lot of practice.

 

Aioria managed to catch up to her and opened the door to the building before Marin was able to. Marin walked passed by him with a slurred thank you. She stood in the lobby and looked around as if not knowing where to go. Aioria caught up to her once more and stood there with her.

 

"What's wrong?" Aioria asked with concern.

 

"I think I've misplaced the key to the front door of the apartment building," Marin said a bit confused.

 

"Marin we are already inside the building," Aioria said trying to not laugh.

 

"Oh… I don't know where I left the elevator." Marin had a look of concern.

 

"I think it's best if you give me the keys to your apartment," Aioria suggested as he tried to reach for her clutch purse.

 

"Aioria Drivas, I am not sleeping with you tonight." Marin slurred with a goofy grin on her lips. "I mean it."

 

"I just want to help you get to your apartment safe and sound." Aioria tried convincing her to give him the keys.

 

Marin fumbled with opening her purse, she couldn't focus very well. She struggled to open it and as she did all its content flew out. Everything landed at Aioria's feet, especially a strip of bare skin textured condoms that Marin had packed for just in case. Marin got on her knees in a quick movement and began to pick up whatever she could. The whole act and embarrassment had sobered her up. This was nothing like her usual self and she couldn't figure out why she had packed a strip of condoms. It had never been her intention to sleep with him in the first place. She wasn't the type of woman that slept with men on the first date. She usually made them wait for three to four dates before she would even let them make a move.

 

"Here," Aioria said handing her the strip of condoms.

 

"Thanks." Marin shoved it inside her purse and finished gathering her things.

 

Marin stood up and made sure she had her balance before taking a step towards the elevator. Aioria followed inside until they reached her floor and all the way to her front door. Marin took her keys and opened the locks of her door.

 

"Thanks for the date; I really had a good time." Marin tried to hurry herself to get inside.

 

"I had a good time too," Aioria said while looking at her. He noticed the urgency she had to get in her apartment. He placed a hand on her cheek and caressed it. "Marin, relax."

 

Marin stood against her door and looked at him. She had leaned into his caress; the feeling of his caress was something she didn't know she missed until that moment. Without thinking much about Marin decided to make the first move. She kissed him with such hunger, that it even had taken Aioria by surprise.

 

"Don't say anything." That's all Marin said before she pulled him inside her apartment.

 

Aioria observed her a moment; it wasn't like Marin to act the way she was at that very moment. He entered the apartment with slight hesitation as to what he was going to do next.

 

Marin turned to look at him and took her dress off, letting it fall down to her feet. She stepped out of the pool of fabric and stood there wearing her sexiest lingerie.

 

"Are you coming?" Marin asked as she unhooked her bra and threw it on the floor.

 

Aioria swallowed hard, and with his eye closed, he pushed the door shut. They hadn't seen each other in years and there was no time better than the present to get reacquainted. Marin turned on her heel and led the way to her bedroom. Aioria didn't hesitate any more, he followed her eagerly. They had all night to make up for lost time.

 


	7. Chapter 7

_‘Cause it's too late, there's no escape_

_Might as well face it, baby we're stuck with each other_

_Ain't nothin you can do about it’_

\- Shontelle (Stuck With Each Other)

**Chapter 7**

 

 

**_ June 7th 2 pm  _ **

 

Aiacos Raj and Aioros Drivas sat next to each of their clients, as their clients signed the papers of ownership to their new house. Everything had to be done in the presence of their lawyer followed by witnesses for the court. The papers that the judge would receive had to be signed and delivered by both parties. As soon as the papers were received, the first appointment for marriage counseling would begin. The house would be under both their names. Every time one would sign the other signed as well. There was so much paperwork that it seemed never ending. Shaina finished signing the last of the papers and Shaka soon followed.

 

“Here are the keys to your new home.” A woman in her late forties handed them a keychain with several keys on it. The woman also handed a large folder which included the deed to their house. “Congratulations to both of you.”

 

The woman stood from the chair and shook the hand of both Shaka and Shaina. There wasn’t anything more to say to the young couple so she followed them to lobby of the building. The woman said her goodbyes and made her way back to her office.

 

“So what do we do next?” Shaina said, directing her attention to all three men.

 

“The judge will get these papers from us. As for you two; the best thing is to start packing.” Aioria said as he put away the file with the papers he needed to drop off.

 

“At the end of the probation, who will end up with the house?” Shaina asked not caring who would answer. She didn’t care that it was an inconvenient or proper question. Shaina needed to know what lay ahead aside from the separation.

 

“If the divorce takes place, everything will be divided fifty-fifty. You can both come to an agreement before the year ends.” Aiacos said looking at the couple in front of him. “The objective here is to try and make this work. Don't give the judge any motive.”

 

“If the judge finds any motive to prolong this probation, he will do it without thinking twice,” Aioros said, hoping that his words would get through to them. “That's why it's necessary for you both to follow things through.”

 

“Go to marriage counseling; do family things, soon-to-be parent’s activities. Anything to show the judge you are doing your best.” Aiacos suggested. “Before you know it, the year will be over and you two will be free, for the most part.”

 

“One thing that he will notice will be the expenses. Now, this is completely optional; open a joint account. In the end, it could always be left in your child's name.” Aioros, as well as Aiacos, were trying their best to help the couple out. “We will keep in touch with you both and let you know about the marriage counselor. In the meantime, go to your new house and start moving in.”

 

“We will let both of you know if anything comes up,” Aiacos assured the couple before saying his goodbyes.

 

Aioros soon followed suit, as he as well left back to his office. The newlyweds stood in the lobby making sure they had all the papers before leaving. As they got to the car Shaka opened the passenger door for his wife before heading to his side. Shaka had taken it upon himself that day to pick her up at work. He hadn't wanted to give her any room for her to try and make her own way to where they needed to go. Shaina leaned her head back on the seat and closed her eyes. It was already going to be three o'clock and she hadn't eaten anything before coming to sign the papers. She had been busy answering emails and talking to vendors over the phone. Shaka had called that morning and had told her that he would be picking her up. Now she sat in his car, waiting for him to take her home.

 

Shaka drove down the city street, both in complete silence. The thought of him working on his marriage had crossed his mind. He continued to ask himself whether he would be able to change her mind at the end of the year. He really wanted his child to grow up in a loving home, with parents that were together and cared for one another. He didn't like it when things seemed so uncertain. Shaka glanced at the passenger seat every so often. Shaina had her head back on the headrest and her eyes closed. She wasn’t sleeping; it looked more like she was trying to quiet her surroundings. Shaina opened her eyes as they pulled up to a stoplight. She checked her watch once more and noticed that it was already ten past three. She needed something to eat; the feeling of being hungry had become strange to her, for the past couple of weeks. Now she craved something, yet she didn't know what. In a blink of an eye, it hit her. It was the same familiar feeling she always got

 

“Pull over!” Shaina urged Shaka. “Pull over!”

 

Shaka didn't hesitate to do as he was told, as he had heard the urgency in her voice. Shaka pulled over and parked in front of a boutique. Shaina barely had any time to open her door and remove her seat belt. As soon as she did, she bent over as best as she could and threw up on the side of the sidewalk. Shaka took his seat belt off and tried his best to keep her hair out of her way. Shaina emptied her stomach twice before she sat back on the seat of the car. She covered her mouth and looked inside her purse for some tissues. She noticed that she was about to use the very last one. The small bag she carried to freshen herself up, had no other packet of tissues inside. She had been using the contents of that little bag often that she was running low on everything.

 

“I need to get cleaned up,” Shaina said as she covered her mouth with her last tissue.

 

“We’ll make a quick stop at my apartment,” Shaka said as he began to drive towards his home.

 

Shaina didn't bother telling him to take her to her apartment. She didn't want to argue or say much for that matter; all she wanted was to get cleaned up. The remainder of the drive was done in complete silence. It didn't take long before they arrive at the parking garage of the building where Shaka lived. He helped her out of the car and led her to the elevator. It only took them a few minutes to get to his apartment. Once inside he led Shaina to his bedroom and into the bathroom. He showed her where most of the things were, in case she needed anything.

 

Shaina uncovered her mouth as soon as Shaka closed the door. She made sure the lock was on before beginning her now usual routine. Shaina took off her blazer and placed it on one of the towel hooks, as she looked in the mirror she noticed that her shirt had gotten dirty from when she had purged her stomach. It wasn't much, but once she had noticed it, there would be no way of ignoring it. She made sure to clean herself off first before opening the door to the bathroom. She didn't like what she was about to do next, but there was no way she was going to go back out with a dirty shirt on.

 

“Shaka!” She called out from the bathroom door.

 

Shaka came in the room with his phone in hand. He had been making a couple of calls while his wife was in the bathroom. He looked at her as she peeked out of the bathroom door.

 

“Could I borrow one of your t-shirts?” She asked while covering herself enough with the door.

 

“Sure,” Shaka answered and went to his dresser to get a shirt from one of the drawers.

 

Shaina left the door ajar for him, as she continued to clean herself off. Shaka knocked softly on the door and pushed it open. Shaina was busy trying to clean the spot on her shirt that she didn’t pay attention to him entering.

 

“Are you alright?” Shaka sounded concerned.

 

“Yeah, it just that I didn't notice that my shirt got a bit dirty,” Shaina said as she turned to look at him. He had already placed the shirt next to her purse. “Thank you. I promise I will wash it before I give it back.”

 

“Don't worry about it,” Shaka said before closing the door behind him.

 

Ten minutes later, Shaina walked out of the bathroom. She had placed everything back inside her purse, including her shirt. As she walked towards the bedroom door, she finally took the chance to look at his room. It was extremely organized; everything was put in its place. The bed looked like you could bounce a quarter off of it and it still wouldn't mess the sheets up. The curtains were opened, letting a lot of daylight come in. There wasn't a single thing on the floor or out of place. His scent was everywhere; in the bathroom and in the bedroom. She liked it; it was a pleasing scent to her delicate sense of smell.

 

Shaina walked into the living room only to find Shaka paying a delivery person at the door. He had with him a bag, which Shaina could tell was food. Shaina held her purse and blazer in her hands and just waited for him to finish.

 

“I think I should head out already, it’s getting late and I'm feeling a little tired,” Shaina said once Shaka was done with the delivery person.

 

“I ordered you some food; I want to make sure you eat,” Shaka said as he walked to his dining table. As he placed the food on the table he headed where she stood. “Let’s eat and then I’ll take you home.”

 

“I don't think I'll be able to hold much down right now.” Shaina didn't want to repeat what had happened in his car earlier. Throwing up would always take so much from her. “Maybe it's best if you just took me home.”

 

“Shaina, you have to eat something. I ordered us some soup from the deli, that's two blocks down from here.” Shaka wasn't going to take no for an answer. He took her blazer and purse from her and placed them on his sofa.

 

Reluctantly, Shaina let herself be lead to the dining table. He made sense; she just didn't want to end up throwing up perfectly good food. Shaka served her the soup that was in a plastic container, into one of his bowls. They both ate in silence, it was definitely something she never got used to.

Shaina ate as much as she could without overeating and making herself sick. She looked at the man sitting across from her and her mind couldn't help wonder, that this would be something usual for them. For an entire year, they could very well sit and eat a meal in silence. She refused to accept that this scenario could be in her future, it would be torture.

 

Shaina pushed her plate away and waited for him to finish. Once he was done, Shaina took the initiative and stood up. She took her bowl and his, along with a couple of other things and began to clear the table. She placed the bowls and spoons in the sink and the rest she threw in the waste bin. Shaina placed the dishes inside the dishwasher. She was about to head back to the dining table to clean it when she noticed Shaka was already finishing. He threw the rest of the things in the waste bin and proceeds to wash his hands.

 

“I was going to finish clearing the table,” Shaina said in order to get his attention.

 

“You already had done enough, besides you didn't have to do it, to begin with,” Shaka assured her as he dried his hands. “I don't like you doing much, especially when you've had episodes such as the earlier one.”

 

“Shaka I'm pregnant, not terminally ill. I can do a lot of things still, even clearing the table.” Shaina stood in front of him. “What you saw earlier was just part of my day now.”

 

Shaka looked at her standing there in front of him. He hadn't really paid much attention to how she looked, but now that he saw her, with his shirt on her, he liked what he saw. His shirt fits her a little big; the length of it covered her shorts, giving her a completely different look to how he knew she was dressed. He liked how her bare legs looked. He liked them, even more, when they had been wrapped around his waist. She had picked her hair up in a messy ponytail. Shaka preferred her better with her hair down and he wanted nothing more than to undo her ponytail. The feel of her hair in his hands, the softness, that scent that was a blend of flowers and perfume. It was a dark scent that went well with her. There was something about her and about the way she was intimate that had woken a wild side in him, a side he had never experienced with any other woman. He wanted to feel her again, under and on top of him. Seeing her just standing there was enough to take her right there and then. Shaka had to excuse himself at that very moment. His arousal was obvious and she would surely see it since she was standing right in front of him. He made it all the way to his room and tried to calm himself.

 

‘What’s going on with me?’ He thought to himself.

 

Shaka didn’t have much time to think of anything else as he saw Shaina standing in the doorway. She looked at him and smirked. Shaina had noticed the way his eyes were looking at her. She had an idea of why he had excused himself and she wasn't the type to waste an opportunity. Especially when she was feeling the same way he was looking at her.

 

“So are you going to take me or am I going to be the one to take you?” Shaina had just finished asking when Shaka shorten the distance between them.

 

Shaka crushed his lips against hers and in one quick move pushed her against the door of his room. It had been weeks since he last had tasted her and he didn’t know how much he had wanted to until that very moment. He was true to his earlier though and released her hair from the hold of the hairband. He sank his fingers into her long hair and enjoyed the feel of her dark hair in his hand. He felt how her hands busied themselves with unbuttoning ever single button from his shirt. Her hands tugged the shirt out of his pants and soon worked on his pants. The moment her hand made its way underneath the waistband and began to stroke him, all rational thought he might have had was lost.

 

**_((O))_ **

 

Shaina opened her eyes to find herself in a dim lit room, alone, in bed. As her eyes adjusted to the little light in the room, she turned her head towards the window. The beautiful yellow, orange, reddish hues adorned the afternoon sky. A small smile appeared on her lips as Shaina turned her head on the pillow and stretched herself out on the bed while pulling up as much of the flat sheet as she could. The cool air of the air conditioner felt good on her naked body until she felt a chill. A smile appeared on her lips as she remembered what she had done just an hour or so ago. The way Shaka felt on top of her, the way he moved inside her, the occasional grunt or moan that escaped his lips as she moved on top of him. Just thinking about it at the moment, made her want him again.

 

‘What in the world is going on with me?’ She asked herself mentally as she began to feel aroused once more.

 

Shaina remembered the words he whispered before she had dozed off into a comfortable sleep. Her head had been lying on his shoulder and her arm across his chest, as her fingers lightly caressed his skin. His hand had been caressing her head as he had whispered those words. Shaina had been too comfortable, too sexually satisfied to even say anything in return. As she thought of that moment, a yawn escaped her. She felt tired once again, a bit aroused, but mostly tired. She had been very tired lately; something that she knew came from being pregnant. It surprised her that she had managed to actually wake up before the following day. She was sleeping a lot lately, way too much for her liking, but it was something she had no control over.

 

Shaina lifted her left hand and looked at her wedding ring aimlessly. She had noticed he had been wearing his since the day of her prenatal visit. They didn't mean much to her, yet the meaning itself weighed on her. There was a lot she needed to think about when it came to this so called marriage. She needed to quiet her mind once more; she didn't want to think of anything as serious as her marriage. The arousal she had felt a few minutes ago had also passed. That was one thing that also happened often now. Things that she really wanted would become a must have or do, but it would also go away in the same manner. Shaina fixed her head on the pillow and thought on the things she needed to do the next day. Anything was welcomed at the time as long as she didn't have to deal with thoughts of her marriage. Shaina never noticed when she had fallen asleep once more. The last thing she would remember was thinking that she had to get up so she could go home.

 

Shaka sat on the sofa of his living room. His head leaning back, his mind was filled with thoughts, all pertaining to the woman that was sleeping on his bed in the next room. From the way she would ride him, to the way she would moan his name in his ear. He couldn't choose what he liked most. All he knew is that when it came to her in bed, he liked it all. He didn't understand what drew him to her, or what made him want her in more ways than one. Every woman he had slept with had been different from the other, but this one was beyond what he considered his norm. He enjoyed her, every single way she would make him feel, he enjoyed her. His mind was a complete chaos at the moment, his sex life too. He didn't know what to make of the woman that now would share his life.

 

‘You are starting to like her.’ Shaka thought to himself. ‘You are starting to like that fact that she is YOUR wife.’

 

The thought itself did take him by surprise. Yet, there was no way of denying what he felt. He knew the feeling wasn't mutual; at least that is how it seemed. She enjoyed having sex with him and he knew it because there was no way she was faking the orgasms and moans. Shaka was at peace with the fact that his wife enjoyed the pleasures he would give her. Just as he enjoyed the pleasure that she gave him every time they had sex. There was no denying that it was addictive and there wasn't an actual answer as to why it was addictive.

 

Shaka sat up on the sofa and placed his elbows on his lap. He needed to quiet his mind; he hadn't been able to meditate all day and he sure did need it. Shaka stood up and began to do his usual routine of closing all the blinds and turning on the kitchen and hall light. He had the ability to meditate for hours and there were times when he would finish and his entire apartment was in complete darkness. He would just meditate for an hour or two before the day was fully over. He needed to be available in case something would come up with Shaina. Shaka made his way to his bedroom, where he found that his wife was still sleeping. He wasn't sure whether she would wake or not. Shaka had read in his extreme amount of research that some pregnant women slept a lot in their first trimester. He wondered if that was the case with his pregnant wife.

 

Shaka walked around his bedroom as quietly as he could, he closed the blinds and turned on the bathroom light. He didn't want to wake her up, knowing well she needed all the rest she could get, but he didn't want her to wake up in complete darkness. Shaka left the bathroom door ajar, just enough so that the room wouldn't be as dark. Before he would make his way out of the room, he made sure that Shaina was covered and that she had the comforter at hand. Shaka noticed that most of their clothes were still scattered around the floor. A thought entered his mind, one that made him smile, as he picked up the shirt Shaina had borrowed. He would never look at that shirt as just a plain shirt anymore. Shaka placed the clothes nicely folded on top of his dresser and headed out the room. He couldn't allow his mind to wander any further than that. He would never be able to make it to the other room and meditate.

 

 

**_ June 9th 12:30 pm _ **

 

Shaina sat there in a cafe close to Marin's job, listening to what her friend had done on her date. Marin had called her early that day and invited her to lunch, just the two of them. Shaina had accepted her invitation; she had also liked the idea of it being just them two. It had been a while that they hadn't gone out to lunch. Shaina listened as her friend gave her almost all the details of her date with Aioria. She could tell that Marin was embarrassed at telling her how forward she had been. It was nothing that Geist or she had ever done, but for Marin, it was something completely out of character.

 

“Seriously Shaina, I was half drunk,” Marin concluded her explanation as to why she had done what she did. “I would never do things like that. You know me. I always wait until the fifth date before I even sleep with the guy.”

 

“You’ve gone up. Before it was until the third date and now it's until the fifth, I'm impressed.” Shaina smirked before taking a drink from her sparkling water.

 

“This isn't a joke,” Marin said plainly

 

“I'm not joking. I'm actually impressed that you managed to throw caution to the wind.” Shaina gave her a genuine smile. “Did you use a condom?”

 

“Yes...” Marin looked around before giving an answer. “He used one of the condoms from my purse.”

 

“Good, the last thing you want is to end up like me.” Shaina took a fork full of her food and tried to ignore the look she was getting from Marin.

 

“You didn't end up that bad and you know it. You have a husband and a wonderful baby on the way.” Marin reminded her friend. As much as Marin would try to convince her friend to look at the positive side to her situation, she knew it would get anywhere with her.

 

“I have a baby on the way and a husband that I'm not in love with or like for that matter. In what universe is it ideal for someone to be in a loveless marriage?” Shaina took a sip of her drink before continuing. “I fuck him, but I don't think I like him.”

 

“Wait, what? You and Shaka are intimate?” Marin asked politely, once again looking around before asking.

 

“Yes, Shaka and I have had sex. We were together a few days ago.” Shaina noticed the surprised look on her friend’s face and just shook her head. “We had a moment that's all. Before you even say anything, no, I don't have any feelings towards him.”

 

“Shaina...” Marin tried to keep in what she was about to say, but just couldn't. “You should give him a chance, give yourself a chance. I think he could be someone you can fall in love with.”

 

Shaina didn't say anything she was afraid if she would, she would be the one breaking Marin’s heart. Her friend was a hopeless romantic when it came to love. She wanted the happily ever after that every princess in the fairytale had. Shaina was a little too cynical for that, but she wasn't the type to ruin it for her best friend.

 

“So how is Aioria?” Shaina changed the subject.

 

“Uh... He is doing well, at least he seems good.” Marin shook her head in disapproval. Her friend had managed to change the subject on her. “Do you think that maybe it was a little too forward on my part?”

 

“No, not at all, you dated him for two years. I don't think waiting until the fourth date applies in this situation.” Shaina gave her friend a wink. “It's Aioria we are talking about; it wasn't your first date.”

 

“I guess... I don't know if it was the too many drinks or the fact that he saw I had condoms in my purse. All I know is that I wanted him at that moment. I didn't know I've missed him so much.” Marin tried to make sense of what she was trying to explain. “I missed him.”

 

“Sweetie...” Shaina placed her hand on top of her friends and held it. She needed to be less of herself in front of her friend. “If you two are meant to be together, go for it, just let it happen on its own.”

 

“I will.” Marin gave her friend a small smile. “I think you should do the same. You don't know unless you try.”

 

“We are talking about you, not me.” Shaina let her friend’s hand go and decided it was time to change subject, again. “So are you coming over, later on, tonight and help pack all my things?”

 

“Of course, you know I will. Is Junet going to be there on Saturday?” Marin asked touching the subject that hadn’t been spoken in a few days.

 

“I don't know. I don’t think she would.” Shaina answered honestly.

 

“Didn't Shaka say anything?”

 

“Between morning sickness, eating, fucking and sleeping, no. The subject never came up.” Shaina said indifferently.

 

“Shaina!” Marin reprimanded.

 

“What? We had things to do and Junet never came up in our topic of conversation.” Shaina grabbed her glass and took a long drink from it. “She won't go, just give her few more days and everything will be back to normal.”

 

“I hope so. This has gone long enough.” Marin looked at her plate and noticed that she had already eaten most of her salad. She took a quick look at Shaina and noticed that she had eaten very little. “Shaina, aren't you going to eat some more?”

 

“If I do, I'll get sick to my stomach a lot easier. I'll be fine.” Shaina said as a matter of fact.

 

“Ok,” Marin answered while still looking a bit worried.

 

Both women continued their conversation before heading back to work. There were a lot of things that had to be done that afternoon and proper planning needed to be done beforehand.

 

 

**_ June 11th 11 am _ **

 

The movers placed the last of the boxes that were labeled as Shaka’s books, in one of the small rooms downstairs. There were so many boxes and furniture in that room that it seemed that no one else could fit in there. The two men went to the living room where Shaina stood looking at some of the boxes that had been brought in. She told the two men that had brought them in, to take the boxes up to the master bedroom. The other two movers approached the young woman and told her that everything was set in the room that she had indicated. Shaina looked at the other boxes that were left in the living room and asked them if they could take them to the kitchen. Once the men had left with the boxes Shaina took one of the boxes that were meant to go in the room she had set as her home office. The box was slightly heavy, but it was nothing that she could manage.

 

“Don't you dare take that box anywhere!” Madhuri called out from the entrance of the house.

 

“It's just a box Mrs. Mahajan; I think I can manage to take a box to a room,” Shaina said standing in the same spot where she had been caught. She had just taken a couple of steps when Shaka’s grandmother had called her.

 

“I already told you, that you shouldn't be carrying anything heavy and by the looks of it that box is heavy,” Madhuri said while taking the box away from her. “And how many times do I have to tell you to call me Madhuri or Dadi; whichever name you like. Please, none of this Mrs. Mahajan as we are family now, dear.”

 

“Madhuri,” Shaina said as if she was trying it out for the first time. She still felt uncomfortable saying it. The woman had already tried to bond with her when they went to buy a new bedroom set. It was something that the older woman had insisted upon.

 

“Here young man, take all these boxes that say Shaina’s office to that room over there. Do not let this young lady carry anything.” Madhuri ordered one of the movers that had come back from the kitchen. “This young lady here can't carry anything heavy. She is carrying my great grand baby.”

 

“Madhuri, I don't think the movers need to know that,” Shaina said as she began to feel embarrassed.

 

“Nonsense, they need to know that you can't do any heavy lifting,” Madhuri said as she finished pointing out which boxes needed to be taken. She noticed her grandson coming into the living room. “Shaka, Shaina keeps insisting in carrying some of the heavy boxes. I caught her just in time when she was taking one of them to the room. She can't be carrying anything heavy.”

 

Shaka looked from his grandmother to Shaina and really didn't want to have any part in telling his wife what she could or couldn't do. There wasn't anything wrong with what his grandmother was saying. She was completely right, Shaina was still in her first trimester and needed to take care of herself a little bit more than normal. He noticed the look that Shaina was giving him and didn't like what he saw. Shaina was daring him to tell her what she should do. She had her arms crossed over her chest as if waiting but at the same time definitely.

 

“I need you to come with me upstairs to see how you want the clothes set up in the closet.” Shaka directed himself towards Shaina finding the perfect excuse to get out of the predicament his grandmother had gotten him in. “Geist’s friend wanted you to go.”

 

“You two go upstairs. I’ll make sure that things here get placed where they should.” Madhuri said as she headed towards the room where the movers were taking some of the boxes.

 

Shaina relaxed her position and began to head to the staircase followed closely by Shaka. As soon as she began to go up the flight of stairs, she felt the familiar feeling in her stomach. Shaina tried really hard not to get herself worked up as she took one step at a time. She stopped halfway up the stairs and covered her mouth. She hated that feeling; she hated the fact that as much as she tried, she couldn't get some control over it. Shaka had stopped when he noticed that Shaina had stopped going up the stairs. It wasn't until he saw how the color on her face changed, that he knew what was going on. Shaina ran up the stairs and went inside the nearest bathroom. She barely had time to lift the toilet seat and kneel in front of it. After emptying her stomach and flushing the toilet; Shaina sat on the cool floor and leaned her back against the wall. She felt drained from all the effort it took; she closed her eyes and rested.

 

Shaka opened the bathroom door that had been left ajar. He found Shaina on the floor, leaning against the wall. He placed the small bag on the vanity, the one she had left in the master bathroom where she had previously emptied her stomach earlier that day. There were only a couple of times that he had seen her in that state. He felt a small peg of guilt, she was going through so many changes and some were something he would never understand in its entirety. Shaina opened her eyes at that moment and looked at him. She noticed the small bag sitting on the vanity of the sink. She slowly began to get up from the cool floor, but as she did her stomach turned once more. Shaina quickly kneeled in front of the toilet once again and emptied her stomach. Shaka walked up to where Shaina was kneeling and he pulled her hair back. Her hair was picked up in a ponytail but it kept on getting in the way. Shaka stood there holding her hair back and for some reason, he began to rub her back in a soothing motion. He felt how tense her body would get every time she heaved. It made him feel guilty for what she was going through.

 

Shaina placed the seat of the toilet back down once she was done. She flushed the toilet and pulled herself up as best as she could. Her entire body felt tired and weak from the force of the act itself. Shaka helped her keep herself steady, which was not at all surprising. As much as Shaina showed him that she could manage on her own, she didn't feel like that was the moment. Shaina soon finished washing up and placed her toiletries back in the bag. She looked herself once over in the bathroom mirror and noticed that Shaka was just observing her. Shaina gave him a weak smile; it just confirmed that she wasn't completely feeling back to her own self.

 

“Do you want to lie down for a while? It would do you well if you would rest.” Shaka said as he stood behind her.

 

“No,” Shaina said as she shook her head. She turned on her heel and faced him. “I'll be okay. I can rest later on today once everyone leaves.”

 

“You can rest now. I don't think Dadi will want you to do anything.” Shaka said with a small smile on his lips.

 

Shaina didn't know if it was because she was still weak or because she was actually tired, but at that moment she actually felt a genuine attraction for him. Shaina smiled at him weakly and placed a hand on the side of his face. She slowly caressed his cheek with her thumb.

 

“Thank you.” She said in a low voice.

 

“For what?” Shaka asked in a low voice as well. Unconsciously, he had leaned into her touch.

 

“You cared enough to hold my hair and rubbing my back.” Shaina’s smile widened.

 

“Someone has to.” It didn't take any more than that to make Shaka lean in and kiss her.

 

The kiss was soft and intimate; it was nothing like what they both had experienced with one another. Shaina responded to the kiss without thinking twice. As the kiss depended, Shaka managed to close the bathroom door completely. He pushed her back until he had her against the sink. Shaka moved his hands underneath her shirt; he touched her smooth bare skin. Shaina leaned in closer to his touch, if there was any thought in her mind of stopping herself at that moment, it was lost or it had never made an appearance. Shaina’s hands began to busy themselves with the button of his shorts. Shaka placed his hands on her bottom and lifted her just enough to sit her on the vanity. The small toiletry bag ended up getting knocked off in the process. Shaina and Shaka groped one another, but not once did they stop kissing each other. Shaina’s hands had explored his chest and back, she now had her hands wrapped around the small of his back. Shaka’s hands had explored her back, as well as her breast. He had noticed how different they felt since their last time together, fuller, and more sensitive to the way she had reacted when he had touched them. His hands had explored her abdomen, which no longer felt firm as it had before. It now had a softness to it that he was enjoying even more. Shaka’s hand now rested on each side of her bare thighs.

 

“Shaina sweetheart, are you in here? I heard Shaka say you weren't feeling...” Madhuri asked as she opened the bathroom door. The woman didn’t know what else to say; she had caught the couple in a very intimate position. “Don’t mind me.”

 

After those words Madhuri had closed the door and had gone back downstairs; all with a smile on her face. Shaka and Shaina had just seen the woman close the door and then looked at one another. As if the spell had been broken, they both removed their hands from the other. Shaina got off the vanity and turned to check herself in the mirror. Shaka looked at himself over and fixed his clothing. He wiped away the small amount of lipstick that Shaina had left on his lips with a piece of toilet paper. He stepped back and noticed how Shaina quickly fixed her clothes. She looked as flustered as he felt. Shaina picked the toiletry bag off the floor and placed it on the vanity for future use. She couldn’t explain what had come over her. It was as if with this pregnancy she had temporarily lost control of herself.

 

“You said that Misty is waiting for me in the master closet?” Shaina asked as she finished looking herself over in the mirror.

 

“I told him that as soon as you were finished, you would head over there,” Shaka said as he continued to look at her.

 

“Let's not keep him waiting,” Shaina said with such coldness in her voice. It was as if she had turned off a switch and she was back to her usual self.

 

“Please, by all means, after you dear,” Shaka said with the same tone of his voice. He held the door open for her and closed the door once they had both left the bathroom.

 

The couple went straight to the master bedroom without saying a single word. Neither one felt like addressing exactly what had occurred inside the bathroom. They needed to set things up in the closet and that’s all they would do until they finished that room.

 

**_((O))_ **

 

The twins’ cousin entered the house carrying two bags. Carlo, her little boy, followed along holding onto one of the handles in the bag just like his mother had told him. There were still several boxes in the living. As she passed by them, Violate noticed that most of them had already been emptied. She stood there for a moment and had no clue as to where to head with the food she had brought.

 

“Hello!” Violate called from the living room. Carlo echoed her and called out to his aunt. Violate smiled at the little boy before she called out once more. “Shaina, where are you?”

 

“She is upstairs with Misty. Last time I checked they were almost done organizing the closet.” Geist said as she came into the living room. “What did you bring?”

 

“I made some pasta, salad and bought some breadsticks from that bakery we like.” Violate placed the bags on the coffee table and directed herself towards her son. “Go upstairs and tell Shaina that the food is here.”

 

“Ok, mama.” The little boy replied as he went up to Geist and greeted her with a hug. Once he let go of his aunt, he made his way towards the staircase. He tried not to run up the stairs as he went to look for his aunt.

 

“So how are the newlyweds getting along?” Violate asked her cousin before grabbing the bags once more. “Did she come?”

 

“The couple seems to be acting pretty civil towards one another. They haven't let her do much, so I'm pretty sure it's driving Shaina crazy.” Geist said with a smile as she took one of the bags from her cousin’s hand. She directed Violate to the dining room and placed the bags on the large dining table. “The answer to your second question is no. And honestly, I don't think she will.”

 

“Who is here then?” Violate asked as she heard several voices more clearly now.

 

“Shaka, his grandmother, Misty, Shaka's mother has been coming and going, the movers, Mu, Marin, Shaka's cousins, their wives and yours truly,” Geist said as she began to take the containers out of the bag and placed them on the table. “Dad and Mani are still in Athens.”

 

“It’s a full house then and clearly outnumbered, I see.” Violate smiled as she helped Geist place the containers on the table. Geist shook her head as she smiled at her cousin’s small joke. “Has Shaina been feeling okay? I can imagine her stress level must be through the roof, especially if they're not letting do much.”

 

“She did make a run for the bathroom twice today. So I don't know if she will be much for eating.” Geist finished placing the disposable cups, plates, and utensils on the dining table. “If you ask me, I think she needs to eat a bit more. It does seem like she has lost some weight.”

 

“You're kidding?” Violate looked at her cousin, not really believing what she was saying.

 

“Not at all, see for yourself,” Geist said as she pointed toward the woman that was heading into the dining room.

 

Shaina was walking towards them with Carlo in hand. The little boy looked excited to be with his aunt but at the same time because he had seen his mom. Shaina was followed closely by Misty and a man who Violate assumed was Shaina’s husband. Violate noticed that her cousin had indeed lost a bit of weight but it was nothing that she should worry about. Once Shaina began her second trimester it would all be gained back. Violate made her way up to her cousin and hugged her. Shaina hugged her cousin back, she was truly happy to see her. It had been nice to see a familiar face, as she was mostly surrounded by Shaka’s family, who she had met most of them that day. Shaina had also wanted to talk to her cousin alone as she had many questions about the pregnancy. Everything that she had been going through and feeling had been getting to her lately. It was becoming even worse as Shaina couldn't understand what was going on with herself.

 

“I brought food. I bet you're starving with all the work you and everyone have been doing.” Violate said as she continued to hug her cousin.

 

“Oh please, the princess hasn't done more than pointing and telling us where things should go,” Misty spoke up as he passed by the two women, only to gain a look from Violate.

 

“Don’t listen to that queen.” Violate said as she placed both hands on either side of Shaina's face. “I’ll serve you some pasta and some sparkling water.”

 

“Okay, stop it. For a moment there you sounded just like Nonna.” Shaina said while looking at her cousin with a weird look on her face.

 

“Don’t you dare!” Violate laughed at her cousin’s comparison. She noticed the man that she guessed was her cousin’s husband was still standing in the living room talking to some of the movers and another man that stood next to him. Violate grabbed her cousin by the arm and pulled her close. She looked at the man once over and then whispered in her cousin’s ear. “I’m guessing that tall, blonde, drink of water standing over there, is your husband. Not bad Shaina, not bad at all. He looks better in person than he does in the picture that Geist showed me.”

 

“Yes, that man right there is my so-called husband,” Shaina said without much enthusiasm in her voice. “He’s not that good-looking.”

 

“Mr. Tie me up tie me down is gorgeous and you know it. His friend isn’t as bad looking either.” Violate said with a smile on her face, as she continued to look at the men in question. She had recognized the other man from the pictures Geist had shown her. They were both good looking men. “If I didn't know any better, I would say that your dear husband gets your panties all wet. Especially with all those hormones running through your body. I’m surprised your panties aren’t soaked right now.”

 

“Is that what it is?” Shaina said looking at her cousin a little surprised. “Pregnancy hormones?”

 

“Yes, when I was pregnant with Carlo, I would literally pounce on Aiacos. I swear, all it took was a whiff of him and I could literally have an orgasm.” Violate said in a low voice. “The thing is it was just with Aiacos, not another man appetize me more than him.”

 

“So… it's just the crazy pregnancy hormones?” Shaina asked while she looked at the man she now called her husband.

 

“I say it has to do with the man that impregnated you. It draws you two closer or something like that. Well, at least that is my medical opinion.” Violate laughed as she gained a look from her cousin. Violate saw the man they were both looking at, was heading their way. She sobered up quickly and decided to put all silliness aside. “You must be Shaka, Shaina’s husband. I’m Violate, her favorite cousin.”

 

“Nice to meet you, thank you for bringing us food,” Shaka said as he looked at both women. The cousin’s name sounded familiar, he wondered if that was the woman Shaina’s attorney had meant.

 

“It’s my pleasure, please help yourself. I brought enough for everyone.” Violate directed him and the rest of the people that were coming as well. “Come on Shaina, we need to feed you and that baby.”

 

“Seriously, Violate I'm not hungry. I don't feel like eating anything.” Shaina knew she sounded a bit whiney, but she really wasn't feeling hungry at all. She was becoming tired and she knew that sooner or later exhaustion would hit her hard.

 

“Here you go, sweetheart. You have to eat something.” Madhuri had taken the initiative of serving Shaina a plate filled with food. “Now, I hope you eat all of it. I'm pretty sure that you purged everything you had this morning for breakfast. You remind me so much of Aishwarya when she was pregnant with Shaka.”

 

Madhuri didn't give time for Shaina to answer as she went back to where everyone was taking turns serving themselves food. Shaina and Violate were left there standing without being able to say anything. Shaina held the plate full of food in her hands and looked at it for a moment.

 

“I like her. Who is she again?” Violate asked as she turned to look at her cousin.

 

“Her name is Madhuri, she is Shaka’s grandmother,” Shaina said as she continued to look at her food. The plate was filled with so much pasta and salad that she would never figure out where to start. Shaina looked from the food to her cousin and handed the plate to her. “Violate I can't eat all this.”

 

“Shaina, you need to eat. Besides, it seems like his grandmother really likes you.” Violate said stating the obvious as she gave the plate back.

 

“She just likes me because I'm carrying her great-grandchild. After this marriage comes to an end in a year, things will change quickly.” Shaina held the plate in her hands and didn't let her cousin voice her opinion in the matter.

 

Violate just watched her cousin walk off leaving her behind. There was something really odd about the women in the Rinaldi family. They never knew what was best for them until it slapped them in the face. They were an odd, stubborn bunch. Violate shook her head and walked to the other side of the dining room where her son was already sitting down eating food. Shaina made her way to where the food had been set up. She had noticed that her dear husband was about to serve himself some food and decided that the timing had been perfect. She didn't have the heart to throw away the food, but she did need to give it to someone that would eat it. Shaina made her way towards Shaka and stood next to him as she cleared her throat to get his attention. Shaka politely turned towards his wife and waited for her to speak.

 

“Take my plate of food, please. Your grandmother served me food, but I'm really not hungry.” Shaina said offering her plate of food. “This is too much food and I'm not willing to throw it away.”

 

Shaka placed his empty plate on the table and realized that the plate she was holding would be too much for her to eat. There was no way she would be able to hold anything down after eating that much, let alone what it was. He had made sure to research on foods that were good for pregnancy. He had even sat down with Krishna and talked about the good and the bad of the first trimester of pregnancy. Shaka had made sure to know everything there was to know about the first trimester of a woman's pregnancy. He had even gone as far as buying some things that would be okay for her to eat during the day, but with all that had been going on that day, he wondered if Shaina had taken anything or if there was any left.

 

Shaina began to urge him to take the plate from her hand. The smell of the food, even as good as it really smelled, wasn't really doing it for her. This did not go unnoticed by Shaka, as he saw the look he had now become familiar with. Without any say, Shaka took the plate of food and gave it to Mu who was about to serve himself.

 

“It's okay, I can serve myself.” Mu smiled at his friend, only to be greeted by the ill look in Shaina's face.

 

“Sorry...” was all that Shaina had managed to say. She quickly covered her mouth and rushed to the kitchen.

 

“Go!” Mu managed to say to his friend, but Shaka had already walked away.

 

The rest of the group looked at Mu as if asking what had just happened. There were several concerned looks and even Kiki had stood up from his chair and had a concerned look on his face.

 

“Everything is fine. Shaina’s just not feeling too well today.” Mu said sheepishly.

 

“Are you sure?” Madhuri asked.

 

“Yes, Shaina can handle it. Besides, as you all saw, Shaka went with her.” Mu tried to reassure everyone in the dining room. “If anything, I'm sure they will let us know.”

 

With that being said everyone continued doing as they were. Mu, on the other hand, was stuck with a plate filled with enough food to feed two people. He didn't know whether to be grateful for not having to serve himself or worried that he might not be able to finish all of it.

 

Shaina was dry heaving, as she held on to each side of the kitchen sink. This was one of the things she disliked the most about being pregnant. Nausea and vomiting she could somewhat handle, but dry heaving was the worst. She rather vomit than dry heave, it always felt worse. After several minutes, Shaina rinsed her mouth even if she hadn’t thrown up; it was a force of habit now. Shaka had stood by her side since the moment she reached the sink, all except for when he had reached for a paper towel for her to dry her hands and mouth.

 

Shaina wiped the corner of her mouth as she turned to lean against the edge of the countertop. Shaka still stood there waiting to see what would happen next. He was observing her, patiently, something that Shaina couldn’t understand. Shaka didn't say anything, but once he made sure she was fine on her feet, he reached for one of the plastic cups that were placed on the counter. He walked up to the refrigerator and hoped that at least some of the food that he had brought the night before was still there. To his surprise, most of the food was still there. Shaka pulled out a bottle that Shaina couldn't make out from the angle she stood. He placed the cup on the counter and poured some of the liquid into it. Once he was done, he walked up to her and handed her the cup.

 

“Here, drink this,” Shaka said as handed her the cup.

 

“What is it?” She asked as she eyed him, then the liquid that was inside the cup.

 

“It’s ginger ale, organic, it’s one of the ones they recommend the most for women with morning sickness.” He informed her as he stood in front of her, waiting for her to drink it. “I also read that you should eat some yogurt before meals, it’ll help you keep the food down as well and helps with the nausea.”

 

“Someone has been doing their research,” Shaina said under her breath before looking down at the cup once more. The smell and color weren't too appetizing.

 

“Of course I did, haven't you?” Shaka said as he had caught what she had said under her breath. He had gained that look from her that only made him smirk even more. “Drink it. It will do you good and maybe then you can hold some food down.”

 

Shaina was hesitant, to say the least. She eyed the cup once more before bringing it up to her mouth. She drank a little at a time, as much as she felt sure she could take. Shaina stopped drinking as soon as she felt queasy. She placed the cup back on the counter and took a couple of deep breaths in.

 

“Are you alright?” He asked with concern in his voice.

 

Shaina nodded her head as a simple yes and picked the cup back up. For a split second it felt like a victory to him, she was going to listen to him. Sadly it was just only that, a split second, as Shaina picked the half-filled cup and held it up to him.

 

“Have you tasted this before?” She asked, pretty sure she could guess the answer.

 

“No, not this brand at least,” Shaka answered honestly, not really knowing where she was going with this.

 

“Here, I think you should try it.” She suggested as she held the cup out for him to take.

 

Shaka eyed her, not fully trusting what she would do. He took the cup from her hand and didn't give it another thought. He drank a little at first, and then a bit more, but there was nothing wrong with it.

 

“I don't see what the problem is.” he said after he placed the cup on the counter behind her.

 

“Oh, there wasn't anything wrong with it. I just wanted to see if you were good at taking it, as you are at giving it.” She smirked at him, the same way he had done a few moments ago. She saw the look he was giving her and couldn't help but laugh. “Geez, it’s just a joke. The drink is fine, nothing I haven't tried before. You get an A for effort; are you going for the husband of the year award or something?”

 

“I’ll be one,” he stated, making her smile fall. She had been joking, He was well aware of that, but the reality was there. He was her husband and he would do his best to show her that he would be a good husband. Shaka noticed that Shaina looked uncomfortable now and had looked away.

 

“Thank you… for the drink, that is.” Shaina corrected herself right away. She hadn’t like what he had said; she didn’t need to hear and he knew it. Shaina bit her tongue and had decided not to say anything else on the matter. She didn’t want to end up arguing, especially when there was a dining room full of people.

 

Shaka turned on his heel and went to the refrigerator once more. Once he opened it, he pulled out a couple of the container he had placed the night before and two bottles of water. He set everything down on the counter and proceeded to take out some pita chips from one of the top cabinets. Shaina Just observed at the man and all the containers he had taken out. She was impressed that he had done all that. She was more surprised that he had done it for her, even though they didn't get along very well.

 

Shaka sat the containers on the kitchen island, in front the bar stools that the movers had already brought in. Once everything was set up to his liking, he ushered her to sit on one of the barstools. Shaina noticed all the fruit and vegetables that were in the containers. There was even a container of what seemed to be homemade hummus. She was beyond impressed; he had bought all that and prepared it for her to have it ready to eat. The feeling of him being a control freak did cross her mind for a split second. It was something that she wouldn't be able to handle.

 

“Eat,” Shaka said as he sat on the barstool next to hers. He tried hard not to make it sound like and order, but it had come out that way.

 

Shaina took a slice of cucumber and added a small dab of hummus. She savored the creamy texture of the hummus and she soon realized that it was homemade, she had been right.

 

“Did you make the hummus?” She asked after swallowing the last bite of cucumber and hummus.

 

“Yes, I did. There isn't really much to making hummus.” Shaka pointed out.

 

“So, does this mean you know how to cook?” Shaina asked before taking another cucumber with a dab of hummus.

 

“I'm thirty-two; I use to be single and use to live by myself. What do you think?” Shaka looked at her with a half-smile on his lips. “By what you said when we looked at this house. I'm guessing you don't.”

 

“Does making coffee, tea and using the microwave count?” She said as she covered her mouth to speak. He didn’t need to know that she knew how to cook, so she would continue to keep that to herself. “Josephina, she has always cooked. She’ll sometimes leave food in my fridge when she knows I'm coming back. She’ll go clean my apartment, picks up my mail and takes care of my shopping if it needs to be. What can I say? I’m twenty-eight, single and I’m hardly ever home.”

 

Shaka paid close attention to what she was saying. His wife was surely well taken care of when she was growing up and now as an adult. It was obvious that there was going to be a lot that he would find surprising. She was a daddy’s little girl, that was one thing that he had noticed since he had seen her interact with her father. The way he had jumped in to make sure that his daughter would be well cared for. He wasn’t surprised when her father had made the purchase of the house just to make sure that Shaina had a place to live. Yet, he had the notion that her father wanted for their marriage to actually work. Sage Rinaldi had even said so and meant it.

 

 

“You’re married. You use to be single, now you are married.” Shaka corrected her, letting her know in the process that he had caught what she had said. He saw the flicker in her eye that only told him she didn’t appreciate his input on her personal status.

 

“Josephina will be coming in to clean and cook during the week when I am out of town. She wants to make sure that the house is always presentable.” Shaina said as she picked some of the grapes from one of the other containers. She ignored the correction that he had made about her marital status. She decided that it was the time to touch base on a subject that would come up later on in the day and she couldn’t wait. “Since the master closet hasn’t been completely finished and we haven’t really talked about who will get the room. I was thinking that I should take the master bedroom. I would be out of your way and I’ll have everything I need in one room.”

 

Shaka had to take a drink from his water. The quick change in conversation was something that he hadn't seen coming. Shana wanted to catch him off guard in order to get what she wanted and at the same time set how things would be between them in their home. He should have seen it coming. They really hadn’t spoken so much about any sort of living arrangements, aside from moving in together. He had to make his position on the matter very clear to her. 

 

“No,” Shaka said simply and calmly, as he met her eyes. “We are going to work on this marriage together, so I don't see the point in sleeping in separate bedrooms.”

 

“I need my space and privacy.” Shaina tried for him to see reason. She wanted her personal space, she needed it, craved it even.

 

“You’ll have it.” Shaka continued calmly. “Us sharing a room and a bed doesn’t imply that I’m taking that away from you. It’s something married couples do.”

 

“They also don’t get married drunk.” Shaina pointed out, already getting upset. “I don’t see the point in sharing a room or a bed, not all married couples do.”

 

“We will,” Shaka said firmly, the tone of his voice had changed. “I need to make sure you and our baby are fine. You seem to be forgetting that we are married and you are my wife. It’s like you need a constant reminder.”

 

“Believe me I am well aware of the fact I am married to you.” Shaina spat back. “I’ll just take the room we are setting up as a guest room. I’ll just tell Misty to move my things.”

 

Shaina looked at the man in front of her and was completely upset now. She didn’t see why they had to share a bed; they were already sharing an entire space. In her mind, she just found sleeping in the same bed with him unnecessary. So she would just have to move her things into the guest room. She knew Misty would just roll his eyes at her and even try to ask her, but he would wait until they would be alone. Shaka just observed the woman and had to control himself and not fall into another argument with her.

 

“That child that you are carrying is mine as well. That child inside of you is part of me and part of you, and there is nothing that will change that. As the mother of our child, I want to see that you will be alright and that if something was to happen I would be there and not trying to kick the bedroom door open because you decided to lock yourself in the room.” Shaka made his reasons loud and clear as to why he wanted to share the same room and bed with her. He would finally take the moment to tell her what he needed to say before she would try and argue with him, again. “By the end of the year probation, whether this marriage works or not, the result should be that we can get along well enough so that we can co-parent. In the meantime you are my wife and I will care for you and our child. So you won’t be moving into the guest room and I’ll make sure that the master bedroom will be set up for the both of us.”

 

Shaka needed to set things as they were going to be from now on. Since the moment that Shaina had told him that she was pregnant. The idea of becoming a father had peeked his interest. He had never thought about having kids when he was in a relationship before. The moment Shaina had told him, he didn't have any doubt it was his. He knew they had been careless that weekend in Vegas. The day he went to the doctor with her to confirm her pregnancy, there had been no hesitation. When he saw the image in black and white, of the child that was growing inside of her; it had filled him with a new purpose. He had made it his mission to be well informed of everything that Shaina could go through. Shaina wasn't going to be able to make him change his mind. He had told her what type of man he was when it came to marriage and now that he had the chance he would show her.

 

“Are you done eating?” He asked while looking at her. He noticed that she hadn’t retaliated in any way and was just sitting there looking at him.

 

“Yes, thank you.” Shaina took the water bottle in her hands and got off the barstool.

 

Shaina didn't say anything else and just left the kitchen; leaving Shaka to put away the containers still filled with food. She ignored the conversation that was going on in the dining room and went straight to the room that would become her home office. A couple of tears rolled down her cheek as she let the words that Shaka had said finally sink in. She wiped it away as if not to leave a trace that she had actually shed a tear.

 

“Fuck,” Shaina said under her breath.

 

Shaina took a seat on the accent chair and took a moment. She was upset, she was angry, but most of all she had hated the fact that everything he said sounded right. Everything about their marriage and about the child was right. She just couldn’t bring herself to actually admit to it out loud, because then she would have no choice but to finally accept it.

 

**_((O))_ **

 

“Dad! Dad! Dad!” Kiki ran inside the room where Mu was busy unboxing some of the things. “Can I please go in the pool? Please? Please?”

 

Mu placed some books he had unboxed unto one the bookshelves where they were going to go. Kiki had been pulling on his shirt the moment that he began to ask for permission.

 

“Kiki, what have I told you about running and yelling inside the house?” Mu gave him a stern look.

 

“That I shouldn’t run inside and always use my inside voice,” Kiki said looking down at his feet with embarrassment.

 

“No, you can't get into the pool. I didn't bring you any clothes for you to change into.” Mu explained.

 

“Please, dad? Carlo is getting in the pool and his mom said she would take care of me too.” Kiki begged while pouting. “Dadi will also be there.”

 

“Kiki, I didn’t bring you any clothes for you to change into. Maybe we can come some other day when I will be able to keep an eye on you.” Mu tried to reason with the pouting child.

 

“Please, dad?” Kiki begged.

 

These were the moments where Mu didn't know what else to do. He didn't know whether to drop everything and just go and get him some clothes, or he would just let Kiki pout until he got the idea that he wasn't going to get his way. Mu looked at his son and kept calmed.

 

“Hey Kiki, are you going to get in the pool with Carlo?” Shaina asked as she entered the room. “Carlo is playing in the back with Geist until his mommy comes back.”

 

“Dad said I can't because I don't have any clothes to change into.” Kiki turned and looked at Shaina with the saddest look he could muster.

 

“Aww… That’s okay. Carlo’s mom went to get him some clothes too. Give me a minute.” Shaina said as she reached for her back pocket. She pulled out her phone and called her cousin. In less than a few minutes Shaina had arranged for her cousin to bring clothes for Kiki. “Alright, you will soon have some clothes to change into.

 

The little boy's eyes brighten as he heard the news. His smiled widened, as he looked at Shaina. He quickly turned to look at his dad, who at the moment was looking at Shaina.

 

“Shaina, you really don't have to do that,” Mu said as he felt he was losing control of the situation.

 

“Oh, it's no problem. If you like, you can bring some of his clothes another day. That way he will have it here in case he goes to the beach or gets in the pool.” Shaina smiled at Mu and Kiki. “You both are welcome to come over anytime.”

 

“Shaina, I...” Mu tried to say but Kiki ended up interrupting him.

 

“Really!” Kiki shouted, but quickly covered his mouth as he realized he had used his outside voice. He quickly turned to look at his dad. “I'm sorry, I promise I'll use my inside voice.”

 

“So are you ready? Carlo’s mom won't take too long to get here.” Shaina asked as she held her hand out to Kiki.

 

“Can I dad?” Kiki hesitated in taking her hand and going with her. The little boy was trying to be on his best behavior. “Please?”

 

“Alright...” Mu gave in. “Just promise me you'll be good.”

 

“I will,” Kiki said while taking Shaina's hand. Kiki’s expression became serious and he looked at Shaina as he lightly pulled on her arm. “Shaina, will the baby be able to go inside the pool as well?”

 

“What baby?” Shaina was taken back. She looked at the little boy, to Mu and even at Shaka who had stopped unboxing a few things.

 

“The baby you have in there, silly.” Kiki poked Shaina's nonexistent belly and smiled at her.

 

“Kiki, who told you I have a baby?” Shaina asked as she continued to hold the little boy’s hand.

 

“Nobody,” Kiki said innocently, he quickly lost interest in finding out whether the baby could get in the pool or not. “Can we go now?”

 

Shaina mentally shook her head and dismissed what the kid had said. It had been the oddest question she had ever heard, but she figured that the little boy had heard the others mention the baby. She nodded as a response to Kiki’s request, both took each other’s hand and soon exited the room. Mu and Shaka stood there watching the pair make their way towards the living area. Mu turned to look at his friend and couldn't help but laugh at the situation. There was nothing else he could do.

 

“I think Shaina won't have a problem getting into the role of being a mom,” Mu said as he grabbed a couple of more books from the box. “I think the problem you'll have is that she’ll undermine you.”

 

“It’s nothing that I won't be able to handle,” Shaka said while placing more of the book on the shelf.

 

“I don't see how you will be able to handle it. The woman has a way with men, look at Kiki.” Mu finished placing the last books on the shelf. “She took care of a situation, not only that, but she’s making sure that it won't happen again. I don't think you’ll have much say in any matter.”

 

Shaka looked at him and just shook his head. He ignored the comment completely and finished placing the books on the shelves. They were almost done putting away everything in what would be his home office. He knew that Shaina had already finished her home office and would most likely go fix something else. Shiva, Aghora and their wives had already left for the day. Shaina had thanked them for coming and even the Mahajan women had invited her for dinner. It was an invitation that Shaina had been nice enough to accept, but he wasn’t sure she would actually go through with it. Shaka had thanked his family for coming, but in all honesty, he had been hesitant with the entire dinner. His thoughts were soon interrupted by Kiki entering the room once more. The little boy looked excited in his new swimming trunks.

 

“Look, dad! They got me these cool shorts so I can swim in the pool.” Kiki couldn't hold in his excitement. “Look! They also got me these shoes, so I won't fall outside. Aren’t they cool?”

 

Mu just looked at his little boy, who was smiling from ear to ear. He turned to look at his friend and smiled at him. There wasn't much he could say on the matter. Kiki got closer to his father and looked up at him. He asked him with his hands for him to be carried. Mu took him in his arms and pulled him up to him. It was something that he had been doing less and less, now that Kiki was getting bigger.

 

“Dad, can Shaina be my mommy?” Kiki asked Mu, covering part of his mouth as if it was a secret he was trying to tell him. He hadn’t said it low enough to be a secret, but enough for both men in the room to hear.

 

“Kiki, I don't think that Shaina can be your mommy,” Mu said knowing well that wasn't going to be a good answer for the boy.

 

“Why not? She got me these cool shorts and shoes and she is very pretty. I think she is very pretty.” Kiki looked around to make sure that no one else was hearing him. “Don’t you think she is pretty daddy?”

 

“I don't think that’s going to be possible. She is already going to have a baby of her own.” Mu answered, but had ignored the question his son had asked him.

 

“It's okay; we can help her with the baby. I can help take care of it and I can play with it too.” Kiki continued trying to make his dad see things his way. “You can be the daddy.”

 

“What about Shaka?” Mu asked as he turned towards where his friend stood, enough for Kiki to see him as well.

 

“What?” Kiki didn't know what Shaka had to do with what he was asking.

 

“The baby Shaina is having is also Shaka's baby.” Mu tried to explain, but he knew that he was really just disappointing him. “What's going to happen to him?”

 

“Uh...” Kiki didn't know what to say. He liked Shaina a lot, but he didn't know what to make of this new information.

 

Mu noticed the look on his son's face and felt a bit sad. Kiki whispered something into Mu’s ear and soon after Mu put him down. The little boy turned to look at Mu and Shaka but mostly kept his attention on Shaka. The sad expression on his face said plenty. Kiki turned on his heel and slowly made his way towards the kitchen.

 

“Well, that was interesting,” Shaka said while making his way where two of the last boxes were.

 

“My kid wants a mom and he just doesn't understand that it's not that simple,” Mu said as he opened the last box he had on his side. “I don't think Kiki liked that you get to keep Shaina.”

 

“He's just a kid.” Shaka shrugged it off like nothing. He didn’t see the point in going on and on about something that he found so silly.

 

“Yeah, but the kid hasn't mentioned anything to me about wanting a mom, until just a moment ago.” Mu stopped what he was doing. “He likes her and that says a lot. There isn't that many woman Kiki likes to be around and Shaina made it in that small list.”

 

“Mu, it's time you should start looking for that special someone, again.” Shaka finished unpacking the last two boxes he had.

 

“It's not easy when you have a kid and that's one thing you and Shaina have to keep in mind. Or have you both found that special someone in each other?” Mu looked at his friend for an answer to what he had hinted at, but knowing Shaka, he would just ignore it. Mu just hoped that his friend would realize that once a child was in the picture life changed completely.

 

“She's special alright...” Shaka mumbled to himself sarcastically.

 

Mu just observed his friend's reaction. He had heard what his friend had mumbled. He had noticed the tone Shaka had said it, he just didn’t know in what way to take it. Mu shook his head and busied himself once more by putting things away.

 

**_((O))_ **

 

Shaka locked the front door and made sure that the alarm was set before heading up to his room. He made sure the doors to the back of the house were locked, as well as the windows. The dim lights underneath the top cabinets of the kitchen had been left on, giving enough light if either of them needed to come downstairs during the night. Shaka grabbed his phone from the coffee table before making his way to the stairs. He had three missed text messages; one from Junet, telling him that she would try and make things right. She had also apologized for not being there for him. The next one was from his mother to let him know that she expected to see them for lunch on Sunday.

 

Shaka had no clue how he was going to make Junet and Shaina be in the same room together, but he was sure his wife would try to skip it. As for the third text; that was from his Dadi. She just thanked him for letting her be a part of the new chapter in his life. She also reminded him about Sunday lunch and to take extra care of his wife. Shaka smiles to himself and made his way up the stairs. As he reached the top of the staircase, a text message arrived on his phone. The message was short and it even had an emoji on it, winking at him. Mu had texted him as a reminder to kiss Shaina good night before going to sleep. That alone had made him think of Shaina. The fact that in the last three hours he hadn't seen her at all was a record. He knew well where she was. Before Geist had left for the night, she had told him that Shaina had been tired, that she had decided to call it a day and had gone to bed. Geist also informed him that it had been three hours since Shaina had gone up to the master bedroom.

 

At reaching the door to his room, Shaka never hesitated in going in. He found one of the bedside lamps on, which provided enough light to the dark room. Shaina was already on the right side of the bed, sleeping. At some point, while sleeping, Shaina had tossed the sheets aside. Shaka looked at her once more before heading into the bathroom. He needed to wash up and get ready for bed, yet he didn't want to make too much noise. Shaina hadn't rested throughout the entire day and she needed to rest.

 

There was a rewarding feeling in him when he had seen her sleeping in bed, their bed. He had gotten his way when it came to the sleeping arrangements. His goal was to make the marriage between them work and sleeping in the same bed was part of it. Shaka finished rinsing his mouth and placed his toothbrush in the holder. He felt the cold air coming in from the vents, hit his bare back. The cold air felt good. Shaka placed his dirty clothes in the hamper and turned the bathroom lights off on his way out. As he reached what would be his side of the bed, Shaina had just finished repositioning herself. With the movement, part of her midriff was uncovered. Shaka took note of the fact that his wife had lost a bit of weight. He had noticed it when they had been together in the bathroom and now as she lay in bed. He took the time to observe her; he noticed the small roundness of her abdominal area. That was new, that was evidence of their child being present. Without hesitation and not much thinking, Shaka lightly touched the small bump. A new found sensation grew in him, it was something he had never experienced before, and it was something completely different to which he couldn’t explain.

 

Shaka moved his hands away as he felt Shaina stir in her sleep. Shaka grabbed the flat sheet that had been pushed aside and covered her. He ran his fingers, along with the sheet, up her smooth legs. He ran the sheet all the way up to her shoulder and made sure that the comforter would be at hands reach if she needed. Shaka made his way to his side of the bed and opened the sheets. The bed was big enough for them to have their own space. As Shaka got himself in bed, he had to agree that the size of the bed was perfect for them. There was silence in the room, with the exception of the sound of the waves. It felt peaceful, serene, something that Shaka hoped would continue for some time. He turned his head to look at the woman that was lying on the other side of the bed. From that moment on, their marriage had begun.

 


	8. Chapter 8

_I know you've got a little life in you yet_

_I know you've got a lot of strength left_

_I should be crying but I just can't let it show_

_I should be hoping but I can't stop thinking_

\- Maxwell (This Woman’s Work)

 

 

**Chapter 8**

**__ **

**_ June 13th 3 pm _ **

 

Junet looked at her computer screen as she held the phone between her shoulder and her head. The woman on the other side of the line was busy giving information over the phone. Sadly for Junet, it wasn’t information that she needed to know. Junet had asked for the reason of wanting to set up an appointment and the woman had started telling her everything but the reason for her appointment. Junet rolled her eyes as she heard the story of the woman’s dog getting gangbanged by a group dogs at the dog park. It took a little over five minutes for the woman to tell her that she needed to make a follow-up appointment for blood work results. Junet managed to give her the earliest appointment she could find to get her in and out as soon as possible. She hung the phone while letting out an exasperated breath out. The woman was one of Fudo’s patients, she had no idea how he managed not to lose his cool with that type of patient. Junet heard someone clear their throat and didn't bother to look away from her screen. She lets them know that they needed to sign in and someone would be with them shortly. The woman stood there waiting for Junet to finish what she was doing.

 

“I’ll be with you shortly,” Junet said as she kept her eyes on the screen.

 

“Are you saying I have to stand here and wait for your sorry butt to finish looking at the screen?” The woman said as she drummed her fingers impatiently on the reception desk.

 

“Oh my gosh!” Junet said as she looked away from her screen and looked at the woman standing in front of the reception desk. “What are you doing here?”

 

Junet got up from her seat and walked around the reception desk. She hugged the woman tightly as she hadn't seen her since the day at the hospital. Phoebe and Misha had decided to help Kida out with making food for her and Krishna, that in the end Junet had been kind of left out. Something that she didn't mind at all since the least she wanted to do was serve them her cooking.

 

“You look amazing!” Junet was amazed at how Kida looked after giving birth only two months ago.

 

“Thank you, I owe it all to my new diet,” Kida said with a smile on her face. Both women began heading to the break room. “No sleep, barely having time to eat and breast feeding.”

 

“Aww… The joys of motherhood. Please, remind me not to have any babies anytime soon.” Junet said as she helped Kida place the car seat on the break room’s kitchen island. “How is little Shashi doing?”

 

“She sleeps, eats all day, with occasional diaper changes. Then at night she is up and doesn't want to sleep at all.” Kida said as she took off the small blanket and placed it on top of the diaper bag. Shashi, the little girl was sleeping so comfortably that no sound would wake her. “Oh, I totally forgot. Congratulation!”

 

“For what exactly?” Junet asked as she had no clue as to what Kida was saying.

 

“I heard your brother got married and they are expecting. When the girls told me, I just couldn’t believe it. I know Shaka is private, but I never thought it would be so hush-hush.” Kida placed the diaper bag on one of the stools, as she talked to Junet. “I never pegged your brother for the father type.”

 

“Neither did I.” Junet had to agree. Her brother had mentioned on several occasions that kids weren't a plan in his life.

 

“Phoebe said she is a friend of yours, which one?”

 

“Shaina, she’s slightly taller than me, dark hair, green eyes...” Junet was hoping that the question portion of her brother’s personal life soon came to an end.

 

“Wait? He married a Rinaldi, Shaina Rinaldi?” Kida was beyond surprised. She had heard so much of the Rinaldi family over the years, but she never thought Shaka would be the one to marry one of the women in that family. “Don't get me wrong, I’ve only heard nice things about her from the girls.”

 

“Nice things about whom?” Phoebe asked as she came in the break room.

 

“Shaina, Shaka’s wife,” Kida said as she turned to greet the other woman.

 

“Oh, yeah, she was nice. I do have to say that the poor girl has it worse than you did at the beginning of your pregnancy.” Phoebe said as she noticed that Shashi was sound asleep. “The poor woman ran to the bathroom I don't know how many times. She disappeared before we finished helping them. With a day like she had, I’m guessing she most likely went to sleep.”

 

“She’s that bad?” The words came out of Junet’s mouth without thinking.

 

“The poor girl didn't eat much either, but Shaka did say his wife rested all day yesterday,” Phoebe informed them.

 

“Wait? Shaka just told you this out of the blue?” Kida asked not really believing that Shaka would come out and say something like that.

 

“No, of course not, I asked him this morning,” Phoebe said making it clear that Shaka would never be the type to share something like that just out of the blue. “The girl is very pretty, that's for sure.”

 

Junet stood back and just listened to the women go back and forth on their conversation. To everyone Shaka and Shaina got married privately and were expecting a child; no one needed to know the truth. She doubted that people would actually believe that her brother had gotten drunk, let alone married in a drunken state. Junet couldn't lie to herself and say that she wasn't worried about Shaina not feeling well. If it wasn't for the fact that she was still upset with her, Junet would have taken her phone out and called her friend. It wasn't as simple for her to just do that, at least not at that moment. Phoebe and Kida continued their conversation, while they moved onto another subject. Junet smiled once in awhile for them to see that she was in the conversation, but her mind was somewhere else. She never noticed that Mu had come in the break room and took out a bottled water from the fridge. It wasn't until she heard the word date and babysitter that made her come out of her thoughts.

 

“The babysitter we use is a college student. She is really good with kids and keeps them on schedule when we are out.” Phoebe told Mu, as she pulled out her phone. “Let me get you her number.”

 

“You are going out on a date?” Junet asked as she looked at the man standing across from them.

 

“Yeah...” Mu smiled sheepishly. “I need a babysitter, and who better to ask than Phoebe.”

 

“Here Mu, this is her number…” Phoebe started saying but was cut off by Junet.

 

“I'll do it. I'll babysit for you.” Junet blurted out, interrupting Phoebe.

 

“Are you sure? It’s this Saturday Junet, and I'm sure you have plans already.” Mu wasn't sure if Junet was thinking it through.

 

“It's Monday and most likely I won't have anything to do on Saturday night. I'll do it.” Junet gave him her best smile, even though it was hard for her to know that he was going to start dating again. “Besides, Kiki knows me and he wouldn't have to get used to someone new all of a sudden.”

 

“Ok then… Could you stop by around seven?” Mu said, thankful that he had found someone to take care of his son.

 

“Saturday at seven, I'll be there.” Junet's face started to hurt from smiling. She wanted to show him that she didn't care that he was going out on a date. So she faked her cheerfulness and her smile, even if her face was hurting. “All right, well I'm heading back to the reception. Kida, I'll see you after your appointment.”

 

Junet waved and left the room as soon as she could without making it obvious that she was rushing to get out of there.

 

‘What the hell did I just do?’ She asked herself on the way to her chair.

 

Junet took a seat in her chair and just look aimlessly at the computer screen. The scene that had taken place just a few moments ago continued to play in her head. She wanted to kick herself for offering herself to babysit. She mumbled something incoherent under her breath and shook her head. Junet was thankful to hear the phone ring, it was the perfect distraction to get out of her thoughts and back to her work.

 

 

**_ June 14th 7:10 pm _ **

 

Marin took another sip of her wine as she waited for Junet to arrive at their dinner. Junet had texted the day before and asked to meet her at their usual place, at seven o'clock.  Marin had made sure to be there a few minutes before seven. It was already ten past the hour and Junet hadn't arrived. Marin was getting a bit impatient, it wasn't like Junet to be late, but she had already stood her up once. Marin saw several people around her and she felt worse and worse sitting there on her own. She checked her phone once more and only three minutes had passed. As she set her phone back down, she noticed her friend walking towards her table in a hurry.

 

“I'm sorry, I am so, so sorry. I really didn't mean to get here late.” Junet said as she took the chair across from her friend.

 

“I was about to leave. If it wasn't for you rushing in, I would have just left.” Marin was a bit upset.

 

“It's a good thing you didn’t leave. I apologize for the other day as well. I should have texted you or called you, but I was still upset and I was also with Mu.” Junet tried to explain.

 

“It's fine, I made it through the entire class without you. It wasn't easy, but I made it.” Marin said as she took a drink from her glass.

 

The waitress came up to their table. Both women took their time to look at the menu. The waitress waited patiently as the women decided on what to order. Once Junet and Marin ordered their food, the waitress went on her way.

 

“So you were with Mu the day you stood me up?” Marin asked as she took her glass from the table.

 

“We talked for a while, that's all. We talked about my brother and Shaina.” Junet said as the waitress set her a glass of wine on the table.

 

“You talked? That's all you two did?” Marin asked once more.

 

“Yeah... We talked about that particular subject, while we drank tea.” Junet said as she remembered everything they spoke about. “There was a moment that I almost kissed him. I mean, we didn't get close enough to do so, but there was a moment how he looked and it was the way he looked at me, that made me want to kiss him.”

 

“But you didn’t?” Marin asked incredulously.

 

“Yeah… Missed opportunity, I suppose.” Junet looked a bit sad as she remembered. “He’s going out on a date and I offered to babysit.”

 

“You did what?” Marin reacted in such a way that made her almost drop her glass of wine. Several people that sat around them turned to look at them. Marin ignored the looks and kept her attention on her friend. “Why in the world would you do such a thing?”

 

“He really looked excited to go out on this date. He asked Phoebe if he could call her babysitter and the words just came out of my mouth.” Junet took a long drink from her wine and sat her glass down once she was done. “I’m stupid, I know, but I also meant what I said last time. I am giving up on him. The last thing I want is another issue like the one with my brother and Shaina.”

 

“Junet, that is completely different and you know it. I doubt your brother would go to Mu’s house and call him a whore.” Marin pointed out. She didn't mean to say that certain part, but Junet needed to know where she had gone wrong.

 

“I didn't call her that.” Junet defended herself.

 

“You almost did and the worst part of it all this, is that you meant to say it. She’s your best friend and like it or not, your sister in-law as well.” Marin had to stop the small chit chat that Junet was trying to make in order to avoid what really needed to be discussed. “You skipped out on helping them move. Everyone was there and I am pretty sure that everyone there had some knowledge of how those two got together. They might not know about the ‘getting married drunk’ part, but the baby part. In the end, they all managed to go. Your cousins were very nice to all of us and so were their wives. Heck, even your father showed up in one of those times your mother had come back to check if we needed anything.”

 

“Marin I...” Junet tried to say, but Marin continued.

 

“No, you thought that I would simply forget that you blew me off the other day at the gym because you were meeting up with Mu. You could have just texted me, but you didn't because you couldn't face me for whatever reason.” Marin was upset and she wasn't going to say what she needed to say. “I am trying to understand that you couldn't make it on Saturday to help your brother move, but you have to get over it. They have enough drama in their life for you to add your drama into the mix. We are friends Junet, and I won't be able to split my time between you and them.”

 

Junet sat back in her chair and listened to everything Marin had to say. It had been a long time since she had last seen Marin go off like that. Junet was stunned by all that her friend was telling her and to be honest she doubted that she could even try to defend herself. Marin was letting her have it and she deserved it. Junet had skipped on helping her brother move and she had also skipped on their family dinner because she knew that Shaina would be there. In the end, her grandmother had called her and told her that Shaina hadn't been feeling well and that Shaka had decided to pick up some food and take it back to his house. Madhuri had also given her an ear full on her skipping Saturday and Sunday and now Marin was doing the same. Marin wanted Junet to fix things in their friendship and she just didn't know how.

 

“I am not asking you to split time between us,” Junet said in a low voice. “I just need time to get my emotions in order.”

 

“I think you are running out of time,” Marin said plainly.

 

“I know that... I just...” Junet tried to say.

 

“Junet you are running out of time and the longer this goes on, the worse position you will be putting your brother in.” Marin tried for Junet to understand, but apparently, it wasn’t working. “I am not saying that Shaka will take sides because you are his sister and Shaina is his wife. Shaina is carrying Shaka’s child and whether you like it or not he will do whatever it takes to make sure the mother of his child won’t go through anything that would jeopardize the well-being of their child.”

 

Junet sat looking at her best friend without being able to say anything about the matter. She had heard what Phoebe had said about Shaina being ill and she was sure that Shaka had been there to take care of her. Making things right and apologizing were never easy, but she has to start somewhere. 

 

“You’re right,” Junet said those words, knowing well it was true. “I’m sorry Marin. I never apologized for not texting you back or for not showing up at the gym. I am truly sorry.”

 

“All is forgiven,” Marin said as she had heard Junet’s sincere words. There was no way she would ever stay mad at her friend, that wasn't the way she was. She just wanted Junet to know that she was hurt with the way she was behaving.

 

The intensity of the conversation subsided and after a few moments of silence, the conversation became more relaxed. As Junet went on about what had gone on in the time she hadn't seen her friend, Marin hoped that things would truly go back to what they once were. Marin silently prayed that Junet would finally fix the problem she had with Shaina. She couldn't wait for the day when they would all get together. The idea alone of getting back together was amazing, they could finally enjoy the fact that one of them was becoming a mommy.

 

 

 

 

**_ June 14th 8 pm _ **

 

Shaina began to unpack her carry-on bag as she had just arrived from an extremely short business trip. One of the drivers from the company had picked her up and taken her to her house. She had been received by an empty house and a missed text message telling her that her ‘beloved’ husband had been called to the hospital. Shaina had just rolled her eyes and made her way to the kitchen. Once she had downed an entire glass of sparkling water, Shaina had grabbed her bag and luggage and had made her way up to her bedroom. She had placed most of her clothes inside the hamper and the rest where they usually went. Mentally she thanked Misty for being able to organize all her closet. Shaina grabbed her phone and made a memo to remind her to send something special for that man. If it weren't for him she wouldn’t have been able to pull it off on her own. She loved her huge closet, even the way Shaka’s side looked. Misty had sure done a remarkable job.

 

Shaina hung a shirt that she hadn’t worn on her trip; she always took extra clothes in case the meeting with the vendor would take more time than expected. She finished hanging the rest of the extra clothes that she had packed when she began to feel a stretching on her pelvic area. Since Saturday late afternoon she had begun with light cramping, only to be told by her doctor to rest. She hadn't mentioned anything to Shaka about this; she didn’t want him to worry and make it into a big deal. She had done her online research and had read that it was normal to have to cramp during pregnancy, as long as she didn't bleed. Since there had not been any bleeding, she had toughened it out and left on her business trip. She had called her doctor the night she spent at the hotel, but once again she was told the same thing. Shaka had texted her that night and she had once again omitted that part. If she had said anything, he would have personally gone to get her and bring her back home.

 

Shaina tried to calm her breathing and herself as much as she could. The pain slowly began to ease up and she was able to move from where she stood.  She tried not to stretch as much as she looked in one of the drawers for a night shirt or gown. Slowly she unzipped the side of her dress and managed to pull off the dress without stretching as much. She cursed underneath her breath as the dress had slipped her out of her hand and had fallen on the floor. Carefully, she bent down to pick up her dress from the floor, but it was no use, the cramping came back stronger. Shaina ended up falling on her knees and holding her lower abdominal area. The pain was too much for her to take and she had ended up sitting on the carpeted floor of her closet. Shaina desperately stretched her arm up and tried to find her phone from where she was, but soon remembered she had left it on her bed when she had made the memo. She reached into the drawer once more and managed to pull out a shirt and had put it on regardless of the pain. Tears began to run down her cheeks as she felt a strong pulling sensation on her pelvic area.

 

‘Shaka where are you?’ she asked herself as her eyes teared up.

 

Shaina cried out in pain as she stayed where she was sitting. The pain was worse than what she had felt on Sunday and Monday. She tried to stand, but the pain was too much for her to push herself up. Somehow she ended up moving into a fetal position and didn't move from there. The position didn't help subside the pain; it was more of how the pain was crippling her more and more.  Shaina closed her eyes and tried to take much of the pain as possible, yet her tears ran down her cheeks. Shaina hugged herself even more; she knew something was definitely wrong with her. The worse thing of it all was that she was by herself.

 

‘I'm going to lose this baby.’ She told herself in tears.

 

Shaka arrived at what looked like an empty house. He could see the kitchen from where he stood in the living room. As he walked further into the house he noticed that the lights to the staircase were on, giving him a sign that his wife had made it home. Shaka knew that Shaina would be arriving today from her business trip; he just hadn't been sure as to what time she would get there. They still didn't share much of their lives and what they would do. There was just the occasional share of information and text message. It was understandable since they had just moved in a couple of days. He guessed his wife had received the text message that he would be getting home late, even if she had never texted back. As Shaka got to the bedroom, he noticed the carry-on luggage was on the bed, along with his wife’s phone. It was something that he found completely odd, seeing that Shaina would always have her phone with her. As he began to unbutton his shirt, he heard a moan coming from somewhere. At first, he wasn't sure from what room it was coming from, so he remained silent. 

 

“Shaina?” He called out, as he made his way into the bathroom. He heard her cry out once more, making him rushed back into the bedroom. “Shaina?”

 

Shaka was worried now; her cries sounded more like cries of pain to him more than anything.  He heard her once more and made his way into the walk-in closet. There on the floor, in the fetal position, was his wife. Shaina looked up from her position with tears running down her face. She tried to toughen up for a bit and began to get up as best as the pain would allow her to. Shaka had this worried look on his face as he saw his wife in that position. He bent down to help her stand up as slowly as she was able to.  Little by little Shaina got up with his help. She held on to him as much as she could and once he was sure she could move, he took her in his arms and carried towards their bed.

 

“Shaina, what's wrong?” Shaka asked firmly once he sat her on the bed, yet his voice still sounded worried.

 

“I'm cramping, I've been cramping since Saturday, but now it's worse,” Shaina said as she sat as best as she could on the bed.

 

“You've been cramping for a couple of days and you didn't bother to tell me?” Shaka’s calm composure was slowly going out the door. In a split second, he realized there was no point in getting upset. “Are you bleeding?”

 

“I haven't and I don't think I am now.” Shaina ignored the look he was giving her. He might not sound upset or acted out in anger, but his eyes said otherwise. “I called my doctor twice and he said to rest, that's all.”

 

Shaka didn't say much after that and reached for his phone. He wanted to make sure Krishna was at the hospital. Inside, he was beyond upset, she had deliberately kept this from him and it was beyond him why she had. There was a great chance that she could be having a miscarriage and she never even thought to tell him. Shaka dialed the hospital and waited for an answer. The nurse that had answered the phone had assured him that Krishna was still there and would page him to let him know he was on his way. The nurse gave him some instructions before ending the call. Shaka placed his phone inside his back pocket and began to get Shaina's purse. He grabbed her phone and shoved it into her purse. He was upset and all he wanted to do was talk to her and tell her how stupid she had been for not telling him, it was his child she was carrying. As he turned to look at her he saw how small she actually seemed. The vomiting and nausea had made her lose weight and now with this, it had taken its toll on her. Shaka took a mental step back and focused on what he needed to do. He grabbed her purse and set it right next to her.

 

“I'll get you some shorts or pants for you to wear.” He told her before heading to the walk-in closet.

 

Shaina fixed herself on the bed as best as she could. She placed her hand on her stomach and cried a little bit. There was a moment where she felt like she was losing something precious, something that she would never be able to replace it. Shaina wiped away the tears and mumble something under her breath. Shaka heard what she had mumbled to herself as he walked back into the room. He decided not to add more to how she felt, but there would be a moment when this would be discussed.  Shaka cleared his throat and walked back into the room and without saying a word; he helped her by pulling up the leggings that he had found in the first place he had looked in. Once she was dressed, Shaka and Shaina made their way down stairs and onto Shaka's car.

 

**_ June 14th 9:45 pm _ **

 

Krishna looked at all the test results he had ordered, as well as the sonogram. A smile appeared on his lips as he double checked everything he was reading. The nurse approached the station and let him know that Shaina had just been transferred to a room on the fourth floor. Krishna made his notes in the chart and continued to check the last of the results he had just received. He noticed a couple of things that had come up, but it was nothing to be worried about. The nurse stayed in her position waiting for the doctor to give her orders.

 

In the room, Shaina laid her head back on the pillow and let out a breath that she was holding. The pain was still present but not as severe as what she had felt earlier. She was wearing one of the hospital gowns, which she had made sure to untie it before laying down. The only thing she wore underneath, it was a flimsy underwear that the hospitals usually gave all inpatients. It was embarrassing, to say the least, but at least she was in a place where they would be able to help her. Shaina looked around the room and noticed that Shaka had already pulled a chair close to the bed and was sitting there, waiting. Shaina closed her eyes and tried to relax as best as she could, but to no avail.

 

“Shaka after the doctor comes in and lets us know what’s going on, you should go home. I'm pretty sure that Geist will come and I'll have someone to stay with me during the night.” Shaina kept her eyes closed, as she tried to somewhat relax. “You have work tomorrow and you need to get your rest.”

 

“I don't know how else to tell you so that you could understand. I told you already that I am not going to leave you here and that’s final.” Shaka’s voice was firm. He wasn't going to just leave her there and go home like if nothing had happened.

 

“Just go home. You’ll wake up with a stiff neck and a hurt back if you sleep in that chair.” Shaina said as she opened her eyes and looked at him. The look he was given her was enough for her not to ask again. Shaina rubbed her lower abdomen in a slow circular motion as if to subside the pain she was feeling.

 

“Are you still in a lot of pain?” Shaka asked ignoring her request. There was no way she was going to make him leave; he was staying no matter what.

 

Shaina nodded as the pain was very much present and was slowly increasing. She closed her eyes once more as the pain ran down all the way to her knees. She ended up bending forward as tears ran down her cheek. A light touch on her cheek made her open her eyes. There standing by her side was Shaka, wiping away her tears.

 

“I can't... I can't take this anymore.” Shaina said in a low voice as she shed a couple of tears. “Shaka, I can't do this anymore.”

 

“You're going to be fine. It's all going to be fine.” Shaka reassured his wife as he wiped away her tears. He began to run his hand up and down her back.

 

“I don't want to lose our baby,” Shaina said in a whisper before she leaned back up.

 

“You won't,” Shaka said after being thrown by her words. He put his arms around her and hugged her. He was stunned that she had used the word ‘our’ when it came to their child. He would have never imagined those exact words would be coming out of her mouth. It was something new for him, it made him feel a sense of pride that she had acknowledged that it was their child.

 

Krishna lightly knocked on the door and let himself into the room, followed closely by the nurse. He couldn't help but smile at the scene in front of him. His friend had his wife in a comforting embrace, something he never thought he would ever be witness to. Shaka was always very reserved when it came to relationships; this was truly a great surprise. Krishna cleared his throat to get the attention of the couple. He smiled to the couple once they acknowledge his presence. 

 

“I finished reading the result for the blood work and the ultrasound,” Krishna said as he approached the bed. “There are a few things that came up, but it's nothing that concerns me at the moment. As you well know, being in the first trimester, one of the risks you run is having a miscarriage. Luckily all you have is cramping. Your cervix is intact and by what I saw in the ultrasound, the baby is strong.”

 

Shaina let out a breath that she didn't know she was holding. She tried to smile, but at that moment a sharp pain ran from her pelvis to her knees. Shaina bit her lip as she tried to toughen it out.

 

“I would like to keep you for observation. Tomorrow we will run another ultrasound to make sure the baby is doing well. As for the pain...” Krishna directed himself to the nurse and to the couple. “I will order six hundred and fifty mg of acetaminophen, every eight hours and only if needed. The pain should ease up after the first dose. I recommend for you to sit up and even walk around, in case lying down becomes too much.”

 

“Yes, doctor.” The nurse entered the information into the computer and waited for the doctor to finish.

 

“Your baby is going to be fine Shaina. We will make sure that you and the baby are well taken care of.” Krishna assured her with a smile. “I will be on call for the rest of the night. The nurses will keep me informed on how you are doing.”

 

“Thank you.” Shaina could barely smile.

 

Krishna turned on his heel and walked out of the room. As soon as he exited the room, Geist came in. She looked like she had rushed to get to the hospital. She tried to catch her breath before she could even speak.

 

“Oh my gosh, I came here as soon as Shaka called me. Are you okay?” Geist said as she approached the bed.

 

“I'm in pain, but I’m okay,” Shaina said in a low voice.

 

“I'll go talk to Krishna while you are here Geist,” Shaka informed without giving much room to say.

 

“So what happened?” Geist asked a little concerned, once Shaka had left the room.

 

Shaina began telling her sister what had happened when the nurse came in the room once more. The young woman handed Shaina a small plastic cup filled with two tablets and a cup filled with water. Shaina placed the pills in her mouth and took a drink of water, as the nurse stood by and watched. Once the nurse was done entering information into the computer, she left the two women. Geist sat at the end of the bed as this had all taken place. She had to admit she had been surprised at seeing that Shaka had called her.  She wasn’t sure as to how he had gotten her number, which she now guessed Shaina had given it to him in-case of an emergency. When she had heard his voice over the phone, she knew that something was wrong. Now, she sat there waiting for her Shaina to continue telling her what had happened.

 

**_((O))_ **

 

Shaka caught up to Krishna in the hallway. He was still concerned about the baby and his wife, but mostly about his wife. Seeing Shaina in such a state made him feel uneasy, powerless. Krishna went over the lab's results and ultrasound in complete detail with his friend. He told him the reason why he wanted to keep Shaina overnight and why he was recommending walking and sitting if lying in bed became too much. It was obvious to Krishna that Shaka was worried. The way he looked and the way he acted was enough to give it away.

 

“Shaina said she called her doctor twice and he told her that as long as she wasn't bleeding, everything was fine,” Shaka said both upset and incredulously. He was losing his composure little by little and that was something that was becoming more surprising to him.

 

“Most obstetricians tell that to their patients. As long as the patient doesn't bleed or have any other symptom, she is fine.” Krishna never liked how some other doctors dismissed the small things. In all fairness, it was something that maybe the doctor hadn’t considered as something more than just pain. Still, it was obvious even to him that they should have told her to go get checked. “Shaina had no other symptoms, but they should have told her to take something or even asked her to get checked.”

 

“They called her on Sunday told her they need for her to go on a business trip. She flew out early in the morning on Monday and just got back in at seven-thirty.” Shaka informed.

 

“She's lucky it didn't become worse. The stress of work and the flight alone would have made things worse. Shaka, I'm going to need for your wife to rest as much as she can tonight.” Krishna asked his friend and colleague, as he also hoped that Shaka would do the same. “I want to see how well she does tonight and we'll see tomorrow how things are. After all this, she will need a follow-up appointment so she could get checked.”

 

“I need for you to be her doctor, Krishna. I know she'll be in good hands with you as her doctor.” Shaka didn't think twice about it, he knew his friend was a great obstetrician and with the midwife they had at the office, they both were a great team.

 

“That would be something that Shaina would have to decide, on her own.” Krishna marked his words. He wanted to be clear with Shaka that only Shaina had a say in making that decision. “I understand she is your wife, but it has to be Shaina the one who decides. If she wants me to take care of her during her pregnancy, I would be more than glad to.”

 

Shaka looked at his friend and knew that he was right. There was no way that he could make Shaina unwillingly switch doctors; it would be something that she would need to do. He didn't like that her doctor and the staff had ignored something so common in pregnancy, yet it was something that still needed to be checked. He felt powerless in not being able to help her. Walking into their closet and seeing her on the floor had made him break a little. He couldn't imagine how it would be if they had found out that she had miscarried. He could admit to himself that he was worried about her and that was something he found himself doing more and more.

 

“She will be fine, Shaka. She is a lot tougher than she is letting you think. Don't get me started on your baby.” Krishna placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. He noticed how deep in thought Shaka had become. “That baby is fighting hard to stay and by the look of that ultrasound, he isn't going anywhere.”

 

“Thanks for taking care of Shaina, for your help in general.” Shaka was sincere in his gratitude.

 

“I'll be around. Get her to rest and easy on the visitors.” Krishna said with a smile before heading to the next nurse station.

 

Shaka walked down the hallway, but before he could even reach the room, Marin and Junet were walking down the hall. Both women stopped in front of him, they both held worried looks on their faces as they looked at Shaka for any information. He wasn’t surprised at seeing Marin being in the hospital, but the one that did was his sister. There was no telling what would happen when Shaina found out that Junet was there to see her.

 

“She's doing fine. They are both doing fine.” Shaka answered the unasked question.

 

“Both! You said both. That's means that she didn't have a miscarriage.” Junet voice went higher every time.

 

“She didn't have a miscarriage, but the doctor has asked for her to rest,” Shaka warned Junet, knowing full well that his sister and Shaina weren't on speaking terms. “No arguing, please.”

 

“There won't be any of that, I can assure you.” Marin could almost guarantee that wouldn’t happen.

 

Shaka looked at both women before knocking on the door. He asked them to wait and headed in first. There in the bed was his wife sitting up, while his now sister-in-law was sitting on the edge of the bed. Both women stopped talking as they turned to look at him. Shaka was a bit stunned as he saw the twins give him the same look. One looked completely different from the other, yet they could muster the same look. For a second, he was thankful Shaina was pregnant with only one child. There was no way he could manage two, let alone them coming out like their mother.

 

“There are some visitors for you, but before I let them in, you have to promise me you will take it easy,” Shaka warned his wife before opening the door to let the women in.

 

Shaina looked it at him and then at her sister, to which Geist answered by shrugging her shoulders. She had no clue what he meant or who was the visitors in question. Shaina looked back at her husband and nodded in response. Shaka took one good look at her before saying anything else. He wanted to make sure that Shaina would be up to it.

 

“All right,” Shaka said before opening the door.

 

Marin walked into the room and made her way towards the hospital bed. She hugged Geist first and then Shaina. She had received Geist’s text message as she was leaving the restaurant with Junet. Marin was a bit hesitant at first to let Junet know what was going on. She thought about it for a minute or two before telling her. Marin couldn’t bear the thought that something had happened to Shaina and Junet wouldn’t be told. The moment that the words had come out of her mouth, Junet hailed a cab for them to go to the hospital.

 

“How are you feeling?” Marin asked her friend as she was hugging her.

 

“Better. The pain is finally subsiding.” Shaina said as she let go of her friend.

 

“I'm glad.” Marin smiled at seeing Shaina. She was relieved to her that her friend was doing well and that she hadn’t lost the baby. There was no way to prepare her friend for what came next, but she remained hopeful that it would all turn out well. “There is someone else here to see you.”

 

Shaka stood close by, he didn't know how Shaina would react upon seeing his sister. Junet walked slowly into the room and as soon as she saw Shaina, she practically ran up to her and hugged her. Shaka was surprised at seeing this, for some reason he had pictured this going completely the opposite direction. Both women hugged one another without caring who was there. It had been a long time since they had seen each other. It had only been a little over a week, but it sure felt like it had been more.

 

“I'm sorry.” Junet simply said as she continued to hug her friend.

 

“I'm sorry too,” Shaina responded, her emotions getting the best of her.

 

Junet and Shaina finished hugging and then Junet moved to Geist. It didn't take long and it didn't take much for the girls to make up. Shaka witnessed everything from the entrance of the room. The women were now acting and talking like if nothing had happened between them. He felt a sense of relief that things hadn't been worse; he needed Shaina to maintain calm, relaxed and for her to rest. Shaka stood there for a few minutes before heading out the door. Just as he was about to leave, Junet stopped him.

 

“I forgot to tell you. Dad, Mom, and Dadi are in the waiting area. They arrived just as we entered the elevator.” Junet informed with a smile on her face.

 

“I'll go out and talk to them,” Shaka said holding the door, but warned his sister before heading out. “Shaina needs to rest.”

 

“Yeah, yeah... We will get her to rest.” Junet said waving her brother off. Deep inside she knew her brother was worried, even if he didn’t want to admit it to anyone. “You'll have all night to make sure she is resting. Knowing you, you won't move one inch from here.”

 

Shaka shook his head and didn't respond to his sister statement. She did know him well enough, and it was true that he wouldn't move away from that room all night. Shaka closed the door behind him and began to head down to the waiting area. They had a long night ahead of them and he hoped that things wouldn't get any worse.

 

**_ June 15th 7 am _ **

 

Shaina walked down the hallway followed closely by Shaka. A strong cramp woke her up and she had decided to get up and take a walk. Shaina had tried to sleep for most of the night, but there had been a moment that she had needed the pain medication and had gotten up to walk around. Every single time that she had woken up or got out of bed, Shaka had been there. Shaina glanced at Shaka and noticed the way he looked. She had a feeling he hadn't slept all night just to keep an eye on her. His mother and grandmother had offered to stay, but he had declined their offer. Geist, Marin, and Junet hadn't been the exception, they had offered as well, but he had refused. Shaka wanted to be there to make sure Shaina and the baby were taken care of.

 

They both made their way back to the room, where he would make sure she would rest. Shaina made her way to the bed, with the help of Shaka. She knew he was overdoing it with his way of care for them. Shaina fixed the bed so she would be sitting up. She made sure she was comfortable enough for her to sit back and rest. Before Shaka went back to his chair, Shaina took a hold of his hand. Shaka turned to look at his wife attentively, a worried look crossed his face and Shaina shook her head for him not to do so. Shaina smiled warmly at him and pulled him closer to her. He looked tired and it made Shaina feel guilty for putting him through this. She looked at him with concern for a moment and reached with her free hand to caress his cheek.

 

“You should sleep for a while. Me and the baby, we'll be fine.” Shaina said as she caressed his cheek while she still held his hand with the other.

 

“I'll sleep once we get home.” Shaka leaned into her caress, he couldn't understand these moments between them. “You should be the one that should sleep.”

 

“I've slept enough. The pain isn't as bad anymore, you should sleep. At least do it for the baby.” Shaina ran her hand down his face and brought him in closer.

 

“I will, once we get home,”  Shaka said before closing the gap between them. He kissed her slowly, enjoying how her lips felt and the way his lips moved against hers. He would enjoy the moment he had with his wife even though he found no understanding for them.  “You're feeling better?”

 

“I told you the pain isn't as bad anymore.” Shaina smiled at him and she brought him closer to her. They began to kiss once more not caring where they were at the moment.

 

Shaina held him close to her; she couldn't understand what was going on inside of her. All she knew at that moment was to have him close. She wanted him to be closer, to want her, to be with her and not let her go. Shaina opened her eyes and slowly parted from him. She noticed she had shed a couple of tears and didn't know what in the world had just happened to her. Shaka had opened his eyes and noticed the tears that had run down her cheeks. He noticed the stunned look on her face and the way she was now looking at him. Shaina wiped the tears from her face and moved back on the bed. It was the oddest thing that had happened to her, and she knew that it was not her normal self. Shaina swallowed hard and thought of what to do next. Shaka looked at her but didn't say anything. He had never seen her act the way she was doing so at the moment.

 

‘Did I do something wrong?’ He asked himself as he went over in his head what had happened.

 

Shaka watched how Shaina got out of bed and began to make her way to the bathroom. She mumbled an audible sorry and closed the door behind her. He didn't understand what had happened to her that she had shut down so quickly. Shaka made his way to the bathroom door and waited for a moment. He remained silent until he heard a noise, a low thud and then he heard sobbing. Shaka was surprised when he heard the sobbing, yet he grew worried as to the thud he had heard. Shaka knocked on the door and waited for a response, but none came.

 

“Shaina, are you alright?” He asked as he knocked on the door once more.

 

“I'm fine. Could you please just give me a moment?” Shaina asked from the other side of the door.

 

“I'll be out here if you need anything,” Shaka reassured as he could hear her sniffle from where he stood. He waited a few seconds before he would make his way back to the chair where he had spent all night.

 

“I won't, but thank you,” Shaina said as she started crying once more.

 

Shaina sat on the cold floor for what seemed like an hour, but it hadn’t been more than five minutes or so. It felt like she had cried what she hadn't been able to cry in years. She slowly pulled herself up from the floor and stood in front of the sink. A large mirror hung in front of her, showing her red blotchy demeanor. Shaina let the cold water run for a second and with both hands she splashed water on her face. She did it a couple of times before shutting off the cold water.  Shaina questioned her actions over and over, but there was no answer to what had happened. As she reached over on the side of the sink, she realized that she had left her phone on the night stand. She cursed herself under her breath and rubbed her hands up and down her face. Her mind seemed to be somewhere else, her emotions were in a very vulnerable place right now and all she could do was step out of that bathroom, and face her humiliation.

 

Shaina opened the door to the bathroom, only to find Geist and Marin waiting for her, along with Shaka. Geist held a weekend bag in one hand and a large to go coffee in the other. Shaina’s eyes grew wide as she saw the cup of coffee. It felt like ages since she hadn’t smelled that wonderful scent or been around it. Shaina walked straight to her sister and took the cup out of Geist’s hands. She took the top off and inhaled the wonderful intoxicating smell of what used to be her morning weakness. Shaina smiled like a Cheshire cat.

 

“Good morning to you too.” Geist greeted as she saw her sister take her coffee out of her hand and went on to sit on the edge of the bed. “You know you won't like it. I like my coffee on the sweet side, remember.”

 

“Shaina you can’t drink that,” Shaka said as he saw his wife putting the cup close to her mouth.

 

“I’m not going to drink it. I just miss this smell so much, you have no idea.” Shaina said as she took in the wonderful smell.

 

“Is that what you’re going to say every time you see Shaka when you get home from work?” Geist asked her sister with a wicked smile on her lips as she looked from her sister to her brother-in-law.

 

“Geist!” Shaina warned her sister as she placed the coffee on the tray table. “Is that bag for me?”

 

“This?” Geist was caught off guard and pointed to the weekend bag in her hand. “Yes, Shaka asked me before I left home yesterday. I got you the essentials you would need for your stay.”

 

Geist helped her sister get in bed before giving her the bag she had brought with her. Shaina opened the zipper of the bag and noticed that her sister had brought her clothes to lounge around at home. She wasn't thrilled with Geist’s choice in clothing, but there was nothing she could do. Shaina was relieved that when she had opened the door, she had seen Geist and Marin standing there. She wouldn't have to explain what had happened. She wasn’t sure she knew what had happened and was still shocked, to say the least. As she looked inside the bag, she found a toiletry bag with her toothbrush, along with Shaka's toothbrush and a tube of toothpaste. There were all the essentials she needed, along with a new deodorant for her and Shaka. As she moved the clothes around, she found clothes for Shaka, as well as clean undergarments for them.

 

“Geist brought you clothes as well.” Shaina directed her attention towards Shaka, who was sitting down, looking at the sisters interact.

 

“Oh yeah, I took the liberty of bringing you clothes as well. I thought it would be a good idea if you had a change of clothes.” Geist said as she took the chair next to Marin.

 

“Thank you,” Shaka said as he walked up to the bed and looked at what his sister-in-law had brought him.

 

“By the way, excellent taste in underwear. I actually like how men look when they wear that type of underwear, very European.” Geist said while looking at her sister and brother-in-law. “To be clear, I prefer men who wear boxer briefs.”

 

“Geist!” Shaina and Marin warned.

 

“What?” Geist asked as she gave them her most innocent look.

 

“I apologize,” Shaina said as she looked at Shaka.

 

Shaka smiled at his wife while he continued to look inside the bag. He was starting to get used to the interaction between his wife and sister-in-law. Most of all, he was starting to get used to the way Geist acted and the things she would say from time to time. He remembered the way she acted at their Vegas trip. He remembered his wife's actions and the way she was direct with him there too. That was one of the things he had liked about her back in Vegas. The way she had told him off many times and the way she looked when she would get flustered. Even when she told him that the only way she would sleep with him would be if he was the last man on earth. They both had been drunk when they started making out at the club and drunk enough to say those vows to one another. It was interesting how life had brought them together and now being part of her world proved to be quite interesting. He loved seeing her smile and laughing when she was around family and friends. Most of all, he liked it when she did those things when it was just them by themselves.

 

“Good morning.” The dietary worker from the hospital greeted the small group that was in the room.

 

“Good morning.” The entire group greeted the young woman.

 

“Mrs. Mahajan, I brought you some breakfast.” The young woman said as she placed the food tray on the tray table. “I'll come back in a while for the tray. Enjoy!”

 

“Let’s see what we have.” Shaina pulled the tray table closer and uncovered the plate. “I'm actually hungry today.”

 

“What did you get?” Geist asked as she tried to look from where she sat.

 

“Scrambled eggs, turkey bacon, toast, a cup of fruit, juice, and milk.” Shaina described her meal and seemed to actually crave what she was about to eat. Shaka stood by to make sure she would start eating. “Want some?”

 

“Shaina” Shaka warned as she was holding up her cup of fruit to him.  “You're the one that has to eat.”

 

“I just thought I would share. You need to eat as well.” Shaina placed the cup back on the tray. “Why don't you go to the cafeteria and get some food? You can bring it here and eat.”

 

“I will, but you have to eat.” Shaka looked at his wife, not sure that leaving her was a good idea.

 

“Shaka, take your time. If anything, the nurses are just outside in the hall.” Shaina reassured.

 

“I'll go in a few.” Shaka wanted to make sure that his wife could hold her food down. She had only been able to take juice, water, and ice chips the night before while they had been there. Shaka was afraid she wouldn't be able to hold anything down due to her morning sickness.

 

Shaka gave her space so she would be able to eat comfortably. He sat on the reclining hospital chair he had slept on and grabbed his phone to check his email. There was no point in calling into work as he was sure that Junet had let them know. Once in awhile he would glance up and look at his wife to make sure she was eating. Shaina seemed to enjoy her hospital breakfast. He was sure that she was hungry; especially now that she was soon reaching her second trimester. He had started reading everything regarding the stage that she would be entering next. Deep inside he was excited for what would come next. He would have the opportunity of seeing her body change as their child would continue to grow inside her. There was also the opportunity of finding out the sex of the baby. Although, he would tell himself that it didn't matter what the sex of the baby was as long as it made it through the entire pregnancy. He was hopeful for the second more than the first.

 

Shaka was brought out of his thoughts as he saw Shaina move the tray table to the side. He stood up to help her move it out of her way. He couldn't help check to see what his wife had consumed. There was no surprise; he saw that she had only eaten half of what was on her plate and had finished her juice. He made a mental note to bring her something back from the cafeteria. This was one of the main things he didn't like from her pregnancy and it wasn't that she could control. Her lack of appetite and morning sickness was something that Krishna even had told him would change once she entered her second trimester.

 

“I'll head down to the cafeteria to get something to eat,” Shaka informed his wife as he finished placing the tray table to the side of the bed.

 

“Take your time, I'll be fine,” Shaina assured him with a smile on her lips.

 

“Is there anything, in particular, you would want me to bring you?” Shaka asked before making his way to the door.

 

“I would say coffee, but I already know the answer to that.” Shaina just smiled at him.

 

“I'll be back soon,” Shaka assured her, which Shaina gave a closed lip smile in response. Shaka understood what that meant and brushed it off like nothing.

 

He made his way to the door and paused for a moment as Marin had informed Shaina that she would be back as well. She and Geist needed another coffee. Marin had been very polite about asking him if it was all right for her to join him. Shaka had given her a simple nod as a response before assuring his wife that he would return soon.

 

**_((O))_ **

 

Shaka and Marin walked up the hall and turned the corner towards Shaina’s assigned room. To their surprise, they found Geist outside the room fidgeting with her pinky ring next to the door to Shaina’s room, which was closed. Geist turned to look down the hall and wiped a tear that had run down her cheek. A nurse walked behind Geist and let herself into the room without saying anything to her as she carried several items with her.

 

“Shaka wait,” Geist said extended her hand out as a way to stop him as she saw his intention of just walking past her and going inside. “They are checking her right now.”

 

“What happened? Is doctor Krishna Sinha already checking her?” Shaka asked as he saw Geist hesitating. He saw Geist shaking her head and wasn’t able to meet his eyes for a moment. “Geist, what happened?”

 

“They said they would page him. It hadn't been five minutes since you left when she got up and ran to the bathroom. She threw up everything she ate.” Geist explains in a low voice. She was trying to find the words and calm herself all at once. “The nurse came in as we were in the bathroom. She helped her get up, but Shaina began having pain again. The nurse helped her wash up and as we were leaving the bathroom the nurse noticed some blood on the gown. She is in a lot of pain.”

 

“I wasn't even gone for more than twenty minutes; surely you could have called me to come back.” Shaka was feeling every named emotion he could think of at that moment.

 

Shaka didn’t have much time to say anything else as he saw one of the techs bringing one of the ultrasound machines. At that moment one of the nurses opened the door and looked out into the hallway. The woman noticed the tech and held the door open to let him in the room. The moans of pain could be heard coming from inside the room. Shaka didn’t have to think twice and made his way to enter the room, but the nurse blocked his path.

 

“I’m sorry but I am going to have to ask you wait in the waiting area for the time being.” The nurse informed as she continued to stand at the door frame

 

“That’s my wife in there,” Shaka said trying to find a way to get past the nurse.

 

“I understand doctor Mahajan, but you are going to have to wait in the waiting area. Doctor Sinha is coming as we speak.” No later had the nurse uttered those words that soon footsteps could be heard coming down the hall. Muffled moans could still be heard coming from inside the room.

 

Krishna passed right by Shaka, Geist, and Marin and made his way inside the room without saying anything. The nurse at the door asked the three to head to the waiting area and made sure to close the door behind her. Shaka ran his hands through his hair as he felt powerless not being able to do anything. Reluctantly he turned on his heel and began to make his way to the waiting area. Marin looked from Shaka to Geist to the closed door where Shaina was in. She noticed how Geist slowly made her way to the waiting area as well. She was also reluctant to leave.  Marin was about to leave as well and saw that the paper bag that Shaka had brought back with him from the cafeteria was on the floor. Without thinking much of it, Marin picked the paper bag up and took it with her as she made her way to the waiting area.

 

Marin sat in the waiting area, watching the television. It had been well over thirty minutes since they had been dismissed to the waiting area and no one had come by to give them any news. She had taken it upon herself to text Junet as soon as she had taken a seat on one of the chairs in the waiting area. Junet had texted her back and telling her that she would let her mother and grandmother know what was going on and that she would head to the hospital as soon as she would get out of work. So now she sat aimlessly looking at the television. Marin turned to look at Geist who was standing by the window talking on her cell phone. She assumed that it might be with her father or brother since she could hear that Geist was speaking in Italian. Marin turned her attention from Geist to Shaka, who at this moment was just looking towards the hallway. There were a couple of people sitting around the waiting area, some were talking, and some were laughing. The sound of the television was just loud enough to be noticeable but not enough to drown the noise around it.

 

Marin turned her eyes away from the television as she heard footsteps and voices coming down the hall. Rounding the corner to the waiting area were Madhuri and Aishwarya. Both women greeted Geist as she was still on the phone. The women walked up to Marin and greeted her as well. That is when Shaka had noticed that his mother and grandmother had arrived. He stood up and greeted them. Each woman took their time hugging him and telling him that everything would be all right. All three took a seat and soon after Shaka began to inform them of what he knew. Aishwarya stood up from where she sat and took the seat beside her son. She began to give him words of encouragement in Hindi and hugged him once more. A nurse soon called for Shaka and he quickly stood up and walked over to the nurse. All four women stayed behind as they saw him disappear from sight.

 

Shaka was greeted by Krishna and doctor Lendwell, Shaina’s gynecologist, at the nurse’s station. Although Shaka wasn’t too happy with his wife’s gynecologist he still treated him with the utmost respect. Both doctors went through with what had been done in full detail with him. Shaina was to remain in the hospital under observation for the time being. They informed him that they had done a quick consult with the hospital’s maternal-fetal medicine specialist and what his thoughts were on the matter. They were still waiting on his input once the blood work results were available. Another ultrasound would be done later on in the day to check on the fetus as well as a pelvic exam. Shaina had been given pain medication once more, combined with a sleep aid to help her rest. They ordered for visitors to remain to a certain limit in order for Shaina to rest. Shaka voiced out his questions and received only what both doctors were able to determine at the moment.

 

Shaka entered his wife's assigned room and was greeted with a slightly dark room. The blinds had been mostly closed and it was silent. He found his wife lying on her side, sleeping. A nurse was finishing placing the ultrasound machine next to the monitors. She soon made her way out the room, leaving him by himself.  Shaka approached the bed and placed his hand on Shaina’s arm, his wife looked peaceful as she slept. He leaned down and kissed the side of her head. Shaka whispered something in her ear before moving away. He kept his hand on her arm and just looked at her, his wife. Shaka was too deep in thought to notice that Geist had entered the room. She slowly approached the bed and stopped at the foot of it. Geist looked at her sister sleeping and Shaka looking down at her. She had entered in time to see Shaka kissing the side of her sister’s head. She would not make a comment about it, but she was certain something was behind that gesture. Geist knew that he would be there for her sister and if there had been any doubt in her mind before, it was no longer present. Shaka and Shaina needed each other and that was obvious. Geist just wasn’t sure how long it would take for them to figure it out on their own.

 

“Marin and I are leaving for the time being. We’ll be back later on in the afternoon.” Geist said breaking the silence in the room. She received a nod as a response from Shaka, but he didn’t look at her. “I’m sorry I didn’t call you when Shaina felt ill and rushed to the bathroom.”

 

“It’s fine,” Shaka said in a low voice as he continued to look at his wife. “I’ll let you know if anything happens.”

 

“Thank you.” Geist still felt guilty for not calling him to come back to the room. She never thought that Shaina would end up getting worse.

 

Geist gave a light squeeze to her sister’s leg before she went to grab her purse, as well as Marin’s purse, from the chair. She took one last look at her sister and headed out the door soon after. There wasn’t much that they could do for the time being. Geist just hoped that everything would turn out fine in the end.


	9. Chapter 9

" _I'll whisper quietly, I'll give you nothing but truth_

_I'll hold you tightly, I'll give you nothing but truth_

_If you're not inside me, I'll put my future in you"_

\- Ed Sheeran (Small Bump)

 

**Chapter 9**

 

_**July 15, 1 pm** _

 

"All right Shaina, on the scale of one to ten, what is your pain level?" Doctor Lendwell asked his patient.

"Six, it's definitely a six," Shaina said as she was sitting up in bed.

"I'm going to do a pelvic exam as well as another ultrasound. We want to make sure that the fetus is still intact." The doctor told her as he received just a nod from his patient.

The nurse helped Shaina scoot down in the hospital bed and then helped her get her feet up on the stirrups. Shaina laid flat on the bed. It was just her, Shaka, the doctor and two nurses in the room. Madhuri had stepped out of the room; she didn't want his grandson's wife to feel like she was on display for all to see. Shaka took Shaina's hand in his as a sign of support, to let her know that he was there for her. Shaina shut her eyes as she felt the doctor begin doing the pelvic examination. She groaned a couple of times because of the pain and turned her head toward where Shaka stood. After the exam, the nurse helped Shaina move back up on the bed and got her ready for the ultrasound. Shaina didn't want to turn to look at the screen, she was too afraid to find out that her body had betrayed her. The room was quiet for a moment until a familiar sound came through the speaker of the machine. Shaka encouraged Shaina to turn and look at the monitor. There it was in black, gray and white, a ten-week old fetus moving around. The images were soon added to her chart and the doctor finished the examination.

"Your cervix is still intact and the baby seems to be moving around, which makes it great news. We still want to keep you here for another day or two Shaina. We are hoping that by then the bleeding will fully stop, there seem to be signs of it becoming less, which it's always a good sign." Doctor Lendwell addressed his patient, trying to turn this negative situation into a more positive one. "I know that you still have nausea, but I still need for you to eat. We are going to wait a bit on the pain medication, but if it starts to get worse again, and then we will go ahead and give you something. Any question?"

"Can I… Is there… Am I still at risk?" Shaina was having a hard time speaking. She felt very vulnerable at that moment and scared, as this was all new to her.

"Yes, there is still a risk. Try to relax, rest as much as you can. It's perfectly fine if you sleep most of the day." The doctor gave her a small smile. "We will check up on you again later on in the evening."

The doctor soon left after finishing with his patient and one of the nurses had stayed behind. She helped Shaina get settled in bed and even had encouraged her to look at the menu so that she would order something to eat. The nurse soon left after that leaving the couple by themselves. Shaina sniffed and wiped her cheeks from the few tears that had run down. It was clear that there was a chance that she might lose the child she was carrying. Since the moment the nurse at her gynecologist office had confirmed her pregnancy there had been no more denying the fact that her life had changed completely. There would always be someone that she would be responsible for and yet here she was about to lose it. Shaina hadn't even met the child face to face, but they were attached to one another. The child needed her since the moment it had been conceived and yet she still had a hard time acknowledging its presence from time to time. The child was always there to remind her of its existence by sending her running to the bathroom and now there was a chance it wouldn't do that anymore.

Shaka noticed how Shaina hadn't said a single word since the doctor and nurses had left. She was now fiddling with her wedding ring and looking down at it. He could assure himself that he was feeling exactly how she was feeling at the moment. Shaka didn't think of it much and seeing that they were alone, he took a seat on the edge of the bed and hugged his wife. Shaka soon felt Shaina embrace him as well; bringing herself as close to him as she could. He knew she needed it, he could see it, even if at the moment she was tearing up and trying to hold it together as best as she could. Shaina needed to feel that she had someone that was there for her and in a way, he needed it as well. Even with many couples going through what they were going through at that moment. No one could feel the way they did because it was they who were going through it together. It was their child's life on the line and no other two people could feel what they were feeling at that moment.

 

_**June 16th 9:30 am** _

 

It had been a long morning for Shaina and Shaka that day. The nurse had gone in at six in the morning to take out some blood and checkup on her. Although Shaina was still spotting, it had been nothing compared to the previous morning. Shana had never been squeamish when it came to seeing blood, but that day had been her first. The sight of her blood going inside the small tube had been enough to turn her stomach. As soon as the nurse had finished taking out blood, Shaina had asked for the emesis basin. Shaka had been by her side since the moment the nurse had started checking Shaina. After that awful episode, Shaina had decided to get cleaned up and made her way to the bathroom with the help of the nurse and Shaka. A nurse aid had come in and had been the one to take over for the nurse. The nurse's aid had been the one to keep an eye on Shaina while she was in the shower.

When Shaina's breakfast had arrived, Shaka had taken the opportunity to clean up. He had taken the bag that Geist had brought in the previous day and checked once more what was in there. The woman had packed extra clothes for him and only one change of clothes for his wife. Shaka hadn't taken long in the shower and getting dressed. He hadn't taken more than twenty minutes and had come out just in time to see Shaina push her tray table to the side. Once Shaka had placed the bag back where it had been, he had approached to check and see how much Shaina had eaten. It hadn't been much, it was less than what she normally would have taken and that worried him a bit. It wasn't even ten minutes that he had returned to the room when Shaina had pressed the call button and had made her way into the bathroom since she didn't find the emesis basin. By the time the nurse had gone into the room Shaina was already kneeling down on the bathroom floor emptying her stomach.

So after a long morning, Shaina now sat up in the hospital bed while Shaka ate the breakfast that his grandmother had brought him. She turned the volume of the television up enough to hear what the people on the morning show were saying. She wasn't really interested in what was happening in the show, but it was the best thing she could find on television. Madhuri had moved the chair from where it was so that she could watch what was on as well. Both women took turns changing the channel until they both agreed on leaving it on the Food Network. They began to watch one of the chefs prepare some sort of Caribbean themed dish. Madhuri soon took out a Ziploc bag filled with some dried fruit and offered some to Shaina. Shaina took a couple pieces of fruit out and gave the small bag back. Shaina ate the dry fruit slowly, as some of the fruit was tart and other too sweet. Her nausea made an appearance the moment she tasted the first piece of dry fruit. She was thankful she had only taken a couple of pieces.

Shaka finished his breakfast while the two women were watching a show. He placed the container back into the tote where Dadi had brought it in. Shaka grabbed his laptop and began to do some work while glancing up to see his wife every once in a while. He decided to do his call backs once Shaina would sleep ass the television would be off and the room would be silent. Shaka answered several of the emails he had received and even took a look at his appointment schedule and all the appointments that had been rescheduled. He emailed his sister and Phoebe regarding his schedule and the changes he would make.

A light knock was heard and Shaina quickly lowered the volume of the television. Shaka closed his laptop and Madhuri moved the chair back to where it was before. Krishna greeted them and made his way over to hospital bed. The nurse moved the ultrasound machine closer to the bed so that the doctor would have it at hand. The other nurse stood by, ready when needed.

"I went over your blood work and everything seems to be where we would like it to be. I'll be doing a pelvic examination and an ultrasound, and we will go from there." Krishna said as he made his way to the end of the bed. "What is your pain level this morning?"

"I would say a three, maybe four," Shaina said as she looked from the doctor to the poster and back again to the doctor. The nurse made her way to the side of the bed and began to help Shaina position herself at the end of the bed.

"That's what we want to hear. All right, now let's start with the pelvic examination." Krishna said as he sat on the plush stool and helped Shaina place her feet on the stirrups.

Madhuri moved to the other side of the room to give Shaina some much-needed privacy. She noticed how her grandson held his wife's hand while the doctor did the examination. The grimace on Shaina's face was enough to know that she was still in pain as the doctor pressed down on her pelvic area. Once Krishna finished the pelvic examination, he removed the dirty gloves while one of the nurses helped Shaina get repositioned in bed. The nurse finished setting Shaina up for the ultrasound, Krishna stepped in and began. Krishna moved the transducer over Shaina's pelvic area and began looking for the fetus. In a matter of seconds, the image of the fetus came up on the screen as well as the heartbeat. Madhuri stepped a little closer to the bed to take a peek at the screen. Shaka noticed that Dadi was trying to see the screen and encouraged her to get closer.

"The baby has a strong heart which is something we like to see. It is definitely moving around this morning, very good sign." Krishna said as he gained a small smile from his patient. He turned to look at Shaka and at Madhuri. The older woman looked ecstatic at seeing the image of her great grandchild on the screen. Krishna did some measuring of the fetus for the chart and printed out some pictures so his patient could share them with the family.

Madhuri hugged her grandson and pulled him down to give him a kiss on the cheek. She had felt so honored to have been given the opportunity of seeing the ultrasound image of her great-grandchild. Shaina was cleaned up and sitting up in bed by the time Madhuri had finished hugging her grandson. Krishna gave the pictures to Shaina and then grabbed her chart and added the copy of the images to it.

"Everything seems to be going as it should and as soon as I sign the discharge papers you will be free to go home," Krishna said not only to Shaina but to the nurses as well. Shaina was already eyeing him as if she knew what would come next. "I am putting you on bed rest for one week as a precaution because there is still some light spotting. Hopefully, it won't last more than a few days. In the meantime, there are several things that will be off limits until your next follow-up appointment."

"What exactly will be off limits?" Shaina asked having an idea already as to what the doctor might say. She had done some research last night before falling asleep.

"The restrictions are simple but they are for you and your baby's well-being. So that means no sex, no flights, no lifting anything heavier than ten pounds, no work and try to keep your stress level to a minimum."

"I can't miss work; I can't afford to lose my job," Shaina said as she looked at the doctor and then at Shaka.

"It would only be for a week, and you are still at risk of having a miscarriage." Krishna reasoned with his friend's wife. He saw the look on her face the moment that he mentioned the word miscarriage. That alone would slow her down a bit. "You can still walk around the house but not for a long period of time; exercise is also off limits for the time being. I recommend you make an appointment with your gynecologist for a follow-up."

"My gynecologist, but I thought…" Shaina was confused for a moment as she had been seeing him along with her gynecologist. She decided right there and then to switch doctors since she had seen the man that was standing in front of her more than her actual doctor. "I will actually be changing doctors now if it's okay with you, I would like for you to be my doctor."

"If that is what you wish then make your follow-up appointment with me. The office staff will help with retrieving your medical record." Krishna was stunned, to say the least. He doubted that Shaka had something to do with her decision for him to be her doctor. Nonetheless, he respected her choice and looked forward to taking care of his friend's wife. "It was a pleasure finally meeting you Mrs. Mahajan and I look forward to having you as my patient."

Once Krishna and the nurses left the room everything was quiet once more. Shaina looked at the door and then looked down at the pictures she had placed in her lap. The idea of there still being a chance she could lose the child she was carrying made her feel uneasy. The thought that she couldn't go back to work felt even worse. Shaina stared at the picture she held in her hands and couldn't help but think that the child was fighting to stick around. Others thoughts came to mind as she looked at the picture, but she decided to stop herself before they went any further.

Shaina looked up and noticed that Shaka and Madhuri were looking at her as if waiting for something. She smiled at both of them and shrugged her shoulders as if nothing was wrong. Shaka took the liberty giving her a kiss on the side of her head and whispering that everything would be all right. Shaina nodded in understanding and smiled once more. Madhuri took the opportunity and approached the other side of the bed. Although they hadn't spoken much in the time that Shaina had been in the hospital, Madhuri began to care for the woman. Madhuri couldn't contain herself as she saw the pictures on Shaina's lap and decided to hug her. There were no words for Madhuri to express how grateful she was for being allowed to see her great-grandchild. Madhuri began to coo and say things in Hindi that Shaina had no clue as to what the woman was saying. Shaina just smiled politely at the older woman and returned the hug.

"If you'll excuse me, I need to use the bathroom," Shaina said once Madhuri was done hugging her. She noticed the look on Shaka's face the moment she tried to get out of bed. Shaina shook her head and told him she was fine and made her way to the bathroom.

Shaka kept his eye on the bathroom waiting to see if she didn't need anything. The thought of relaxing crossed his mind at that moment. He did need to relax and rest for a moment at least. The thought that Shaina could lose their child weighed heavy on him. He didn't know if Shaina would be strong enough to handle the loss or if he was, for that matter. Shaka sat on the reclining chair and continued to look at the bathroom door. He started thinking of things that needed to be resolved regarding work and other things that pertain to Shaina being at home for an entire week. There was one problem he saw, the days she would be home by herself. He needed to make arrangements for someone to look after her for the entire time he would be at work. Krishna had said that she needed rest, and Shaka was going to make sure that she would get it.

 

_**June 17th, 10 am** _

 

The timer on top of the convection oven beeped loudly, as it alerted the bakers that whatever they placed inside was done. Marin rushed to take out the sheet pans filled with wedding cookies. The large order was for tomorrow and she needed to finish them before the day was over. Asterion grabbed every single sheet that Marin gave him and placed them on the nearest table. Six sheets were now at the table cooling while the two bakers added the next six trays inside the oven. Once both bakers had everything in, each took a tray and placed them in one of the pan racks. They still have several trays to go and it was already ten in the morning. Another timer on top of another oven beeped and Marin went over to take out the next six trays. Marin was in shocked at the fact that there was only one sheet pan inside the oven, with what looked to be a grilled cheese sandwich in the middle of the sheet pan.

"What is this?" She asked Asterion, showing him the pan with the oozing grilled cheese sandwich.

"Where did you get that from?" Asterion asked as he took it from her and placed it on the table.

"Didn't you just see me? I took it out from the oven; it was the only thing in there." Marin pointed towards the oven that she was talking about.

"That can't be," Asterion said as he went up to the oven and opened both doors only to reveal an empty oven. "Marin, I placed six sheet pans full of cookies in this oven. Where are they?"

"You're asking me? I was the one that handed you most of the sheets." Marin looked around to see if the cookies had been placed somewhere else.

Asterion went straight to the fridge and counted all the sheet pans they had left. The numbe3r of trays that were left was correct to what they had written down in one of the papers. It wasn't until he walked back to the prep station that he noticed several trays that one of the washers was scraping food off. Asterion looked at each and everyone of them only to find that they were filled with gooey dough. He called Marin over and showed her what he had found.

"Where did you get these?" Asterion asked once Marin had checked all the sheet pans.

"Someone had placed them next to the ovens, one on top of the other." The guy that was washing the pans explained. "It was a mess so I brought them here so I could have them ready to be used."

"Did you see who placed them on the side of the oven?" Marin asked as she looked at the guy.

"No, like I said, they were just left there. One of them was even on the floor." The guy pointed out where he had found them. "Hey, I'm just doing my job."

"We aren't blaming you; we just thought that maybe you knew," Marin said as she smoothed things over with the poor guy that stood there looking at her.

"Thanks," Asterion said as he and Marin turned and went back to the prep tables.

"It was her, I know it," Marin said as she slammed the sheet pan with the grilled cheese.

"Are you sure?" Asterion asked already knowing the answer.

"There is no one stupid enough here to mess with the ovens, especially to make themselves a stupid grilled cheese sandwich." As Marin finished, a young woman walked in and noticed the sheet pan sitting on the table.

"Is it ready? I swear I lost track of time and had totally forgotten about it." Hannah, one of the shop girls, and the vain of Marin's existence said.

"This is yours?" Marin asked in a tone that Asterion had heard once or twice and knew that it wasn't good when she used it.

"Yes…" Hannah answered in her usually bubbly self. She reached over to get it, but Marin took the sandwich in her hand and dumped it in the nearest trash. Hannah's smile fell and was shocked that the woman in front of her had done such a thing to her sandwich.

"Don't you ever touch the oven; you shouldn't even be in here." Marin was upset, in the years that she worked in that shop; no one had done what this girl did.

"It was just a sandwich. It didn't take any time or space from what you were all doing." Hannah crossed her arms over her chest and sighed with indignation.

"You took out the sheet pans filled with cookies, cookies that we have to bake for an order that is due for tomorrow." Marin pointed out. The more this would go on, the more Marin knew that she would never get through to the girl that stood in front of her.

"I was going to put them back in once my sandwich was done. Besides you just said it yourself, the order is meant to be picked up tomorrow. You have plenty of time to make another batch." Hannah at this point was getting fed up with Marin's attitude. In her opinion, Marin was making a big deal out of something so insignificant.

The guy that was washing the sheet pans had heard all the commotion and had taken it upon himself to get the owner. Anika had made her way into the kitchen as soon as her employee had told her what was going on. When she had made it there, she saw that Marin had a dirty sheet pan in one hand. Hannah's bubbly expression had been replaced with an expression that Anika had never seen in the young woman's face. Anika wasn't sure if she had gotten there on time or not, all that she knew was that she had to put a stop to it.

"What's going on here?" The older woman asked.

"Hannah here decided to make herself a sandwich by using an oven that was being used at the time," Marin explained with a tone in her voice that showed the level of her anger.

"I don't see the problem with that." Anika wasn't the type of woman that enjoyed confrontation. Upon hearing the tone in the other woman's voice, she knew that what had just come out of her mouth would cause more problems than anything else.

"Anika, she took out six sheets of cookies that we're baking at the time like if it was nothing. Now she says that it shouldn't matter because we can easily make another batch." Marin tried to calm herself as best as possible. She placed the sheet pan on the prep table and took the nearest dish towel and cleaned her hands. She needed to buy a little bit of time so that she could calm down. "Hannah or any of the shop employees are not supposed to touch the ovens, let alone be back here."

"Well, in that you are completely right. No one but the baker and the washers are supposed to be back here." Anika was at a crossroad here. Hannah had become a major problem to the shop and with the employees; she just didn't know exactly how to resolve such a thing without firing the poor girl. "I think the best thing I could do is if Hannah learns to bake and begins to help back here. It's the only way I see that she will learn to respect the work the bakers do."

"What?" This time Asterion raised his voice along with Marin.

"That will be fine with me," Hannah said carelessly not really caring what Anika had decided upon.

"You're kidding me right?" Marin said as she really couldn't believe what her boss had just said.

"Hannah will be learning with the two bakers that come in the afternoon. So I suggest you go home Hannah and get ready to come back later on in the afternoon." Anika knew that this would end up costing her problems with the rest of the employees, but she really didn't like firing people.

Hannah smiled triumphantly that she hadn't been fired and had even ended up getting promoted. Although she had no real interest in baking, she knew that with the bump in position, a bump in her pay would also follow. The girl left, leaving the rest of the group behind. As Hannah left Marin looked at her boss and just shook her head not believing what the woman had done.

"You think promoting her would be the best thing for her? Why can't you just get rid of her?" Marin asked Anika as she left the dish towel on the table. This hadn't gone like it was expected and Marin was sure to let her boss now. Her patience was growing thin and she just hoped that she would make her point come clear. "There are two girls that work the front that would actually be interested in a position like the one you just gave the person that everyone wants gone."

"What's done is done; I'll deal with the rest as it comes. All I ask is that you finish making the cookies that are needed. Please Marin, no more arguing, all right?" Anika pleaded as she rubbed her temples with her fingers. All the arguing had given her a great headache and she really didn't feel like dealing with anything for the rest of the morning.

Marin and Asterion just looked at the woman leaving the kitchen and then at one another. It was obvious that this new change would end up gaining them a whole set of new problems. Asterion just shook his head and made his way to gather the ingredients for a new batch of cookies. Marin, on the other hand, grabbed the dirty sheet pan and made her way to where the washer was. As she finished placing the pan in the sink, she made her way to wash her hands on one of the smaller sinks. It was going to be a long day and all she needed, in the end, was a few drinks. She took out her phone and texted a person that would be able to go out with her for drinks, seeing as the person that she would usually call to have drinks with was pregnant. She needed a couple of stiff drinks and a good shag to remove all stress the morning had brought.

 

_**June 18th 5 pm** _

 

Geist walked around the garden and she checked in on the people that were finishing setting the chairs. If there was one type of wedding that she didn't like doing much, it was the outside weddings. All weddings were beautiful, even outside weddings, but outside weddings always doubled the chances of things going extremely wrong, extremely fast. The number one thing that Geist couldn't control in an outside wedding was the weather. To make things worse they lived in a place where it rained, a lot. Geist tried not to think about it too much as she looked up at the sky and prayed for good weather. After a few deep breaths, Geist decided to concentrate on her usual routine. She checked on the minister who had already arrived and was busy talking to a family member of the groom. She checked on the musicians, who were busy preparing their instruments. She checked on the flowers that were placed outside where the couple would say their vows and inside where the party would take place. She checked to see if the dog that the bride and groom had decided to be their ring bearer was still in his doggie cage. Once she made sure the dog was still there, she went back inside and checked that everything was coming together for the big moment.

Geist entered the bride's dressing room and noticed that the woman was almost done getting ready. The bride was having a hard time getting her zipper unstuck and the bride's mother stopped trying to help. Geist quickly got to work and helped get the zipper unstuck without harming the dress. Once Geist was done, the mother of the bride took over once again. Geist didn't mind at all; she let them know that she would be around if they needed her. She exited the room and walked towards the groom's dressing room. She knocked on the door before entering only to find the groom's grandfather taking a nap on the sofa. As for the groom and groomsmen, they were busy having a couple of beers before the wedding. Geist counted all the groomsmen and noticed that one was still missing. She slowly walked out of the room and used her walkie-talkie to locate the missing groomsman.

"He is entertaining the flower girl, while the little girl's mother gets into her bridesmaid's dress." Geist's assistant's voice came in through her earpiece.

"Is he wearing his suit?" Geist said as she walked around the venue to check that no one was inside where the reception would take place.

"Yes, he is." The girl answered clearly as she too was anxious about getting the wedding started.

"Alright, you go let the rest of the groomsmen and groom that we are starting in five." Geist let her assistant know before directing herself to one of the workers. "Are the guest all seated."

"Almost…" another voice came through her earpiece.

"Let's get the band to begin to play and make sure that all guests are sitting," Geist ordered while she made her way to the bride's dressing room. "Is the groom party on their way?"

"They are on their way as we speak." the assistant said as she had personally followed the group where they needed to go.

"All right ladies let's make this wedding happen," Geist said as she reached the bridal dressing room and signal the bridal party that it was time.

The wedding ceremony had gone without a hitch. Geist and her crew had kept on top of any little mishap that could occur. The dog of the couple had been well trained to go down the aisle all the way to where the best man stood. The flower girl had stolen part of the show when she went up to the dog and began to pet him in the middle of the ceremony. Now the wedding party had finished taking a picture and had joined the rest of the party. Geist walked around the event hall while supervising. She always made sure that the food would go out on time and that every guest had their glass filled. She stopped at the furthest part of the event hall and just looked at the party taking place. Geist loved weddings, ever since she was a little girl, she had loved them. She loved how the bride and groom always looked happy; she hadn't encountered a couple that looked otherwise. There was something special on how the brides looked on their wedding day. It was that same impression that she had when she was a little girl. She couldn't help but smile at the memories that came to mind. Geist soon was brought out of her thoughts as she felt someone standing next to her. She felt a little embarrassed that she hadn't seen who had approached her. Quickly she composed herself as the person next to her cleared their throat to get her attention.

"Out of all the weddings that are taking place in this city tonight, you happen to be in the one I am part of. What are the odds of that?" The person said with amusement in his voice.

"Maybe it's a sign you should buy a lottery ticket," Geist said with a smile on her face. She had been surprised herself as she had turned to look at the man that had brought her out of her thoughts.

"Maybe I should." The man said as he smiled at her. "I knew I would see you again, it was just a matter of time before we would bump into one another."

"Are you here to save the groom or the bride?" Geist couldn't stop smiling at the odds of bumping into this man once again. She couldn't help but take a quick glance at how he looked in a suit and tie. The man looked really nice in a suit, just as nice as he looked in his uniform.

"I'm pretty sure neither one of them will need saving tonight." Aldebaran was still surprised that he had bumped into the woman. He couldn't stop looking at her or at the way she looked in the dress she was wearing. She definitely had his approval in how good she looked. The musicians began to play a lovely ballad and Aldebaran took the opportunity to ask. "Would you care to dance?"

"I would love to dance, sadly I can't, I'm working at the moment." Geist wished she could, but it would be the most unprofessional thing to do. She looked at the man by her side and couldn't help but feel bad.

"How about we go out for dinner sometime?" Aldebaran asked as he wasn't going to give up so easily.

"I would love too." Geist smile fell as she heard her assistant's coming in through the earpiece she was wearing. She looked at Aldebaran once more and took out a card from her pocket. "I have to get back to work. Call me."

Aldebaran smiled at Geist as she walked off to wherever she was needed. He looked at her business card and couldn't stop smiling. The next time he would see her, it would be for dinner. It surely was something he would look forward to.

 

_**June 18th 8 pm** _

 

Junet turned to look towards the entertainment room where Kiki was watching a movie on the television. She had ditched the idea of staying in Mu's apartment to babysit and told him she was heading over to see Shaina. Mu didn't seem to have a problem with that and had given his approval. There was something about waiting for him from getting back from his fantastic date that Junet just didn't want to be a part of. From the corner of her eye, Junet saw how her grandmother shook her head in disapproval. Junet turned her full attention towards her grandmother and addressed what she knew she was dying to tell her.

"I made a mistake, I know that?" Junet said sincerely. "You don't have to say anything."

"I'm not…" Madhuri crossed her arms and just stared at her granddaughter.

"I thought I could handle this, but it's obvious that I can't." Junet looked towards the entertainment room and saw that Kiki had found his spot next to Shaina and had cuddled into her. She couldn't help but smile at the scene. "He likes her, doesn't he?"

"He does, I think it's because she is expecting. Mu told me about the first time he met her, he hugged her right away." Madhuri smiled as she looked at the scene and pulled out her phone. She took a picture of the two and quickly sent it to her grandson. "Can you imagine the day when we get to see Shaina with her baby like that?"

"I can honestly say I am looking forwards to seeing Shaina as a mother. I'm also looking forward to seeing my brother being a dad." Junet said as she looked at her Dadi. It was still weird to think that Shaina and Shaka were married, but she liked the fact that there was a baby on the way. "I think I'm going to stay away from Mu's dating life from now on."

"I think that's one of the smartest things you have said since you got here." Madhuri wished that she could help Junet forget about the crush she had. She didn't want another repeat of what had happened many years ago. Nothing broke her heart more than to see Junet broken-hearted. "Would you like some tea?"

"I would love some tea," Junet answered as she saw her Dadi get up. She took a quick glance over to where Kiki and Shaina were and noticed that they had both found their spot on the sofa. Both were lying down on the sofa, asleep, as the television now served as background noise. Junet smiled to herself and took out her phone. Without making too much noise she went up close to where Shaina and Kiki were sleeping and took a couple of pictures. She placed the phone back into her pocket as she made her way to the kitchen. "Well... those two are asleep."

"Doesn't' surprise me at all. Shaina has been sleeping most of the day, and Kiki, I think that he is just tired." Madhuri said as she was taking out two cups from one of the top cabinets. "Your brother also took a nap earlier today. Your mother had to go wake the newlyweds up, so they would come down and eat."

"Speaking of Shaka, where is he?" Junet asked in Hindi.

"He's been meditating for three hours now. He made sure Aishwarya or I would stay with Shaina while he went to mediate, he didn't want Shaina to be left by herself." Madhuri answered in Hindi. She always enjoyed when Junet spoke her native language. "Don't get me wrong, it's sweet that he worries, but it's going to drive the poor girl crazy."

"I wouldn't doubt it; Shaina is not very big on being fussed over." Junet laughed at her Dadi's concern over her best friend. Junet could only hope that when that happened, her brother would be able to handle it. "All we need to do is stand clear, Mount Vesuvius could erupt at any moment. My advice to you Dadi, if you are present at that time, is to run for cover."

"Junet!" Madhuri warned with a smile on her face. She wasn't aware of how strong Shaina's temperament could be, but she assumed it would be as normal as any woman. Madhuri couldn't discard the fact that her grandson had quite a temperament as well. "Let's hope that when Mount Vesuvius erupts, Barren Island doesn't erupt as well."

Junet couldn't stop laughing at what her grandmother had said. She loved the fact that her grandmother didn't mind her humor, and why would she; both women shared the same type of humor. Junet couldn't help but think that once her Dadi would get to know Shaina a bit more, she would end up liking her even more.

"Hear, hear!" Junet answered as she lifted her cup of tea, which her grandmother had just finished pouring hot water into. "Speaking of Barren Island..."

"Shaka!" Madhuri said as she turned to look at her grandson, who was just entering the kitchen. "How did your meditation go?"

"It went well…" Shaka answered as he approached the refrigerator. He grabbed one of the water bottles and closed the door right after. Something told him that the women had been talking about him or something that had to do with him. It had become obvious as he had heard the tone of Dadi's voice as he had entered the room. Shaka quickly glanced at what he could see of the living room and couldn't see where Shaina was. "Where's..."

"Shaina? She is in the entertainment room with Kiki." Junet answered before her brother could even finish asking. She took a moment to take out her phone and looked for the picture that she had just taken. After only a few seconds of finding it, she tapped on the picture and passed the phone to her brother. "They both fell asleep a little bit ago. Don't they look adorable?"

Shaka looked down at the phone he had in his hand and saw the picture on the screen. Kiki held Shaina's arm close to him as if she were protecting him. Shaka gave the phone back to his sister and grabbed his water bottle before heading out of the kitchen. Junet and Madhuri had been waiting for Shaka to say something, anything, in regards to the picture, but it never came.

"Where are you heading dear?" Madhuri asked, not knowing where his grandson was going.

"I was thinking of swimming a couple of laps around the pool before calling it a day," Shaka said as he was almost out of the kitchen.

"I was thinking of heading out for the evening soon, but I'll stay the night if you need me to." Madhuri offered knowing well what his grandson would say.

"That will be great, Josephina made sure to put clean sheets on the guest bed." Shaka turned to look at his grandmother. He was thankful for knowing that he could count on his family with whatever was needed. "Dadi, I don't want to be any inconvenience to you. I could always postpone swimming for tomorrow morning. I keep asking you to keep an eye on Shaina when clearly she is mine to care for."

"I'll always be here, for you and for Shaina." Madhuri was a little surprised at hearing her grandson's admission. She loved her grandson very much and there was nothing she wouldn't do for him. "Go take your swim, I'll look after her."

"Thank you." Shaka returned to where his Dadi was standing and gave her a kiss on the side of her head. Without another word, he turned on his heel and exited the kitchen.

"Aww… What a lovely scene and here I am capturing it all on my phone." Junet laughed as she held her phone. She continued to record as she knew her Dadi would simply turn and give her a disapproving look. It only took a second or two for her grandmother do just that. Junet continued to laugh, which only resulted in her grandmother trying to act mad and failing miserably.

Both women continued their conversation over tea. Shaka could hear them as he crossed the living room and headed for the patio doors. His meditation session had been better than expected; the complete loss of time was something that he was used to already. He still wanted to work out his body just as he had his mind; a few laps around the pool would do wonders for his body. As he was about to open the door to the patio he stopped himself and turned to where the entertainment room was. He could see the light of the television from where he stood. Without much thought, he began to make his way to said room. There, on the long sofa, laid his wife and his best friend's eight-year-old son. Both were sound asleep without a care in the world. It wasn't every day that he would see his wife in that position. She looked like any mother would and that alone brought a smile to his face. There was no doubt that once their baby would arrive, the role of being a mother would suit her well. He thought if it would suit her to be a wife as well, but that would also make him think if he was suited for the role of being father and husband. Shaka dismissed the thoughts for the time being and just appreciated the moment he was given by seeing his wife in that position. He stood there watching her for a moment, oblivious to the fact that the other two women in the house had been watching from afar.

 

_**June 19th 1 pm** _

 

Shaina posed once again standing beside the wall next to the chimney in the living room. Junet had insisted that she should begin taking pictures of her baby bump. Geist had been excited with the idea and had even gone upstairs with Junet to pick out the clothes Shaina should wear. The girls had picked out a blue and white striped dress that would show off her curves perfectly. Once the girls had joined the other two women in the living room, Junet ushered Shaina to the nearest bathroom so that she would change into the dress.

"Okay, one more picture Shaina and we are almost done," Junet told her friend as she took the last picture. "There… all done."

"How did they come out?" Marin asked from her spot on the sofa.

"She looks good," Geist said as she and Junet looked at the phone. "Oh, my gosh Shaina! You have a small bump."

"No, I don't," Shaina said extending her hand out so that the girls could let her see the picture.

Junet gave her the phone and showed the picture to her friend. Shaina was soon joined by Marin, who stood close to her to see the picture. Shaina shook her head as she didn't see anything close that resembled a bump on her midsection. Marin's smile grew as she noticed it and drew her closer for a hug.

"Why are you shaking your head?" Geist said as she saw her sister shaking her head.

"I don't see what the three of you are talking about," Shaina said as she handed the phone back to her friend.

"I can't believe you can't see it," Geist said as she sat on the sofa.

"It's right there." Marin pointed out.

"I think you three are seeing something that really isn't there." Shaina walked up to the accent chair and grabbed the clothes she had taken off and begun heading to the staircase. "I'm going to go change again."

Junet began editing the picture and even added how far along her friend was and also what size the baby was. She had googled it earlier to make sure she had been would add it to the picture. Shaina had turned eleven weeks that day and it seemed everyone was excited except for Shaina. Junet finished looking at the picture and sent it to the group text she had created that included the girls, her Dadi, and her mother. Junet sent a separate one to her brother as a way for him to keep a memory of his wife's pregnancy.

"There, I sent the picture." Junet hadn't even finished telling them when the cell phones began to chime.

"She looks really good," Marin said as she had looked at the picture on her phone. "I think Shaina just doesn't want to see the change her body is making."

"I know, right?" Geist looked at the image and sent the image to other family members. "You are able to see the bump."

"It's there all right. Her abdomen is no longer flat as it used to be." Marin said as she put her phone back on the coffee table. She saw Junet leave her phone on the side table and making her way to the front door. "Where are you off to?"

"Dadi just texted me that she is back and needs help bringing in what she bought," Junet said as she made her way to the door.

Marin and Geist stood up and made their way to the front door. As the girls reached the front door Madhuri was coming in with nothing in her hands. Junet and Shaka followed her as they carried nice reusable bags. Geist held the door opened, while Marin grabbed one of the bags that Junet was carrying. All four headed down to the kitchen and as soon as they set the bags on the counter top, Madhuri began unpacking everything. Shaina arrived in time to see Madhuri finish unpacking all that she had brought with her. The woman had brought vegetables, condiments and serving dishes.

"Shaina, sweetheart, there you are? I was beginning to wonder where you were since I didn't see you when I came in." Madhuri said as she saw her standing at the kitchen entrance. She went up to Shaina and hugged her with care as she hadn't seen her that morning before she had left. "You look so beautiful today, still a little bit on the thin side, but beautiful nonetheless. Shaka, don't just stand there come greet your lovely wife."

Madhuri waited for her grandson to greet his wife like it should be. The woman smiled brightly, she knew that it was pushing the situation. Her only comfort for the moment was that at least she was pushing her grandson in the right direction. Shaka didn't like being put on the spot, something that he knew his grandmother was well aware of. In front of the group of women, Shaka made his way towards where Shaina stood and greeted her with a kiss on the cheek. Shaina involuntarily flinched with the closeness, but she had even surprised herself more as she leaned into the kiss. Shaka leaned into her ear and whispered something in her ear, to which Shaina just looked at him and nodded in response to what he had whispered. The group of women that stood there looked at the couple interacting. It wasn't as odd for most of the women to see them interact as Geist and Marin had already seen it a few times, that is except for Junet. It was something completely strange to see her brother and her best friend together, and interacting in a way that wasn't normal to see. She couldn't help but think that they looked good together. Junet smiled to herself, it was obvious that they were a little uncomfortable with the situation.

"All right kids, I have to start making food," Madhuri said with a satisfied looking smile on her lips. She waited until the group made their way out the kitchen. "Shaina, do you mind helping me out, it will be just a bit, I promise."

"Uh… Sure." Shaina looked at the group that was making their way out of the kitchen. She didn't mind helping the woman up, she did find it a bit odd that it had been her she had asked and not Junet or Shaka for that matter.

Shaka and Junet turned to look at their grandmother and then at Shaina. The siblings knew how their grandmother was, but Shaina had no clue as to the extent their grandmother could go. Shaka gave his grandmother a look that could only be described as a warning for her to behave. Madhuri had just rolled her eyes and shooed both grandchildren out the kitchen with a simple wave of her hand. The truth was that she wanted to get to know the woman that was temporarily tied to her grandson and she really hadn't had a chance to be with her one on one. Wholeheartedly she hoped that somehow the couple would make it in the end and forget the idea of going their separate ways after the year was over. Madhuri looked at the young woman and couldn't help but smile. Shaina was so different from the other woman his grandson had been with previously. Madhuri really enjoyed that fact in particular.

"Why don't you start helping me with washing and cutting some of these vegetables?" Madhuri handed Shaina a couple of carrots.

"Okay," Shaina said without thinking much of it. It wasn't something that she hadn't done before. "Is there any way you would like me to cut them?"

"Just a rough chop will do," Madhuri said as she took out knives, a peeler and cutting boards. She glanced at the woman across from her and to see how well she was doing. The young woman didn't look as lost as she had assumed. "So tell me, dear, how have you been feeling today? When I left this morning I didn't get a chance to see you and last night you went straight to bed after Kiki left."

"I'm doing well so far, just some light cramping, that's all," Shaina said as she was almost done peeling all the carrots. "It's nothing compared to what I felt several days ago."

"Well, just make sure you get rest and don't try to do nothing you aren't supposed to do. I know it might be the hardest thing to do, but it is for the best." Madhuri said as she finished chopping some celery. "Have you started looking at any baby furniture?"

"Umm…. No, not really. To be fair, I haven't put much thought into doing so since the move and everything else that has happened. Shaka's mother had mentioned that she would like to give us the baby furniture as a belated wedding present." Shaina began to chop carrots and kept her eyes on the task at hand. The last thing she would want would be to cut her fingers.

"You will still have to tell her what you two would like. We can always arrange an outing for us Mahajan women to go shopping." Madhuri grabbed some of the tomatoes and began dicing them. She didn't want to take too long in preparing dinner, but at the same time, she wanted to take some time in getting to know the woman standing across from her. "Have you picked out any names yet?"

"Umm... No." Shaina had just finished chopping the carrots and Madhuri had already added other vegetables for her to shop. "I haven't thought much about that either."

"There is no time like the present, dear. Before you know it, your due date will be just around the corner. I'll make sure to buy you one of those baby name books." Madhuri said as she grabbed a mixing bowl from one of the cabinets. She dismissed the disapproving thoughts towards the young woman that stood in front of her. Madhuri reminded herself that this couple needed time to adjust to the idea of having a child. The scare they had several days ago had served as a reminder of that. Madhuri was also more than happy to remind them as well. "I imagine your father is excited that you're having a child. Is it his first grandchild?"

"No, actually this will be his second grandchild. Manigoldo, my older brother, has a little girl." Shaina said as she finished chopping what Madhuri had given her. "She'll be four in August. My father is excited about this grandchild… in his own way."

"Have you and Shaka talked about having any more children after this baby?" Madhuri asked as she took what Shaina had chopped. She turned her back on Shaina as she set aside everything that would be needed for the dish she would be preparing. "I know this is too soon and you both are getting used to the idea of having a baby, but I can assure you, after this baby, you both will want more than just one."

"I… we…" Shaina didn't know what to say. She wasn't sure if the woman knew what the situation they were in and didn't want to say anything in case she didn't know.

"I already have two great grandkids and with yours, it will be the third. I would love it if you would end up giving me more great grandkids. I won't be here forever, you know?" Madhuri said as she took out the chicken from the refrigerator and began prepping it. She knew she was pushing this subject a little too much and making Shaina uncomfortable, but she was going to be as clear on what they were all hoping for. "Aishwarya is also very excited. You should have seen us both when Shaka first showed us the ultrasound picture. I wouldn't put it past your mother in-law if she asks you if you're planning to have more babies."

"Umm…" Shaina was speechless. This conversation had taken a turn that she never thought it would lead to. The way Shaka's grandmother was talking to her made her feel a bit uncomfortable. Shaina wasn't fully used to the fact that she was attached to this woman's grandson or related to the Mahajan family. Shaina really didn't know how to answer without making herself as the bad guy or show any type of disrespect to the Mahajan family.

"How is everything going?" Shaka asked as he walked into the kitchen and headed straight for the refrigerator. Both women turned to look at the man. Dadi smiled at him, while Shaina had this relieved look on her face. "Did I interrupt anything?"

"You're not interrupting at all, sweetheart. I was just here asking Shaina if you two had looked up any baby names." Madhuri said once she finished washing her hands. She looked at the couple and smiled to herself, as she dried her hands. She had seen the look of relief that Shaina had given her grandson; it had made her smile even more. "Have you thought of any names in particular?"

"No, not really, I think that would be when we find out what we are having," Shaka said as he took out the sparkling water from the fridge and two glasses from the top cabinet. He poured a glass for himself and the other for Shaina. He looked over where his grandmother stood and noticed that she still had her glass full. "It could be something we could look at once we know for certain."

"It would be exciting if you did a gender reveal party like the ones you see all those couples do. I tell you, some of those couples are so creative." Madhuri said as she had seen how Shaina had almost choked on the water she had been drinking. Her grandson had turned to look at his wife right away with a concerned look on his face. For a split-second, Madhuri had thought of trying not to overwhelm the poor woman, but she decided against it. There was really no harm in what she was doing and if she had to admit, she was enjoying herself. "You just have to make sure that the person you choose knows how to keep it under wraps. Plus, we can make games and we would all have a great time before the big reveal. What do you think Shaina?"

"I…" Shaina didn't know what to answer at all. The woman was talking a mile a minute and was getting ahead of them. Shaina hadn't even thought about finding out what her child might be or even if she wanted to know. She looked at Shaka right away so that he could take over this conversation, as she wasn't willing to be or sound rude towards his grandmother.

"Dadi, you are getting ahead of yourself," Shaka said with a smile on his face. He knew how his grandmother was and that everything she was saying was something so normal for anyone that was looking forward to a new addition to the family. Sadly, that wasn't their situation and Shaina was looking a little overwhelmed with how his grandmother was being. He now understood the look of relief she had given him early. "Shaina just turned eleven weeks; we'll get back to this subject when she reaches that gestational age."

"We'll wait until the time comes then; you just don't know how excited I am that you are making me a great-grandmother, again," Madhuri said as she began placing everything in a pot. Shaina and Shaka had approached the woman and began to help her. "So how many more great-grandbabies are you going to give me young man?"

"Dadi..." Shaka said as if he was warning the older woman. He noticed that Shaina had already moved back and was taking a seat on one of the stools.

"Don't Dadi me, young man, I asked you a simple question. How many great grandbabies are planning to give me?" Madhuri had a smile on her lips as she spoke to her grandson.

"You are putting me on the spot here, Dadi," Shaka said with a playful smile on his lips.

"That's the whole point, my dear boy." Madhuri went up to her grandson and tapped him on the cheek. Her grandson was almost a carbon copy of his father; it made her wonder if Shaka's child would come out looking more like him or more like Shaina. Madhuri glanced at Shaina and then looked at her grandson. She smiled at her grandson once more and continued with the subject at hand. "I won't be here forever you know, and I would like to see them all before I go."

"Dadi, I think this will be the only great grandson your beloved grandson will give you," Shaka said with sincerity in his voice. He placed his hand over his grandmother's arm and gave it a light squeeze. He didn't like disappointing her, but it seemed like he was going to end up doing so.

"I just told this young lady that once you have this one, you both will want more. Now you're telling me that this is the only one." Madhuri finished saying as she looked at that woman in question, who was just looking at the two interact with one another. Madhuri gave her a devious little smile and winked at her, she turned to look at her grandson and gave a pout, as if she were about to cry. "I guess you don't love your Dadi that much, do you?"

"Dadi, don't start, you know very well I love you," Shaka said with a playful smile on his lips. He enjoyed joking around with his grandmother.

"Not enough to give me one or two more great grandbabies aside from the one you're having." Madhuri played her part well, it had been some time now since they had last joked around. It was a nice change from everything that happened. From all the four grandchildren she had, Shaka was her oldest and the one she had bonded with the most.

"You also have three other grandchildren that you can ask. Why don't you ask them? Junet is in the living room, I'll even go with you so you can ask her." Shaka laughed at the look his grandmother was giving him. He placed his hands on both sides of her face and gave her a kiss on his grandmother's forehead. He loved the woman very much and wished that he would truly give her at least one more great-grandchild, but knew that it most likely wouldn't happen. "Let's put a pin on it, agreed?"

"Very well only because it's you, Shaka. Fair warning to you both, Believe me when I say that I will revisit this subject again; that goes for the both of you." Madhuri laughed at her attempt to sound serious. She turned to check on the pot and added a couple of spices before closing the lid.

Shaina smiled at the interaction between Madhuri and Shaka. It was a new side to Shaka that she had never seen before. He even had blushed at being put on the spot. Shaina was sure that Shaka was Madhuri's favorite grandson, she was sure that Madhuri would never admit such a thing. Shaina enjoyed seeing what was going on in front of her and the interaction between the two. She enjoyed seeing a side of Shaka that she was positive she wouldn't see that much down the line. All she would do at that moment was simple, sit back and enjoyed it as much as she could.


	10. Chapter 10

_Tell me what you want to hear_

_Something that will light those ears_

_Sick of all the insincere_

_I'm gonna give all my secrets away_

-  OneRepublic (Secrets)

 

**Chapter 10**

**_ June 19th, 7 pm _ **

 

The Mahajan family, along with Geist and Marin, sat around the living room each eating a slice of the cake that Aishwarya had brought to celebrate father’s day. Shaka and Junet had both given presents to Asmita, which Junet insisted he should open them right away. Asmita took his time in opening the first gift, knowing well that Junet would get impatient with him. It was his way of giving his daughter a hard time. Junet was indeed getting a bit impatient, but she managed to contain herself as Madhuri had pushed her back into her seat. Asmita opened the box and the look on his face had been priceless. Marin had offered to take video of everything that happened so that Aishwarya could enjoy the moment. Inside the box were all the candy and snacks that Asmita liked. Junet had found most, if not all, the snacks online, even some from India and England, where he had grown up. Junet stood up from where she sat and went on to hug her dad and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Asmita hugged his daughter back and gave her a kiss on the side of her head. He promised to share with whoever wanted some treats since he wouldn’t be able to finish it all by himself.

 

Junet grabbed the gift that was from Shaka and gave it to her dad. Asmita would not be able to play with Junet’s impatience since his son’s gift was in a gift bag. He took the out the tissue paper and then pulled out the box that was inside. Asmita placed the tissue paper back inside the bag and then placed the bag on the floor. He opened the box and took out the watch that was inside. Shaka told his father to turn the watch and see the inscription in the back. It had his date of birth inscribed as well as Junet’s. Asmita took off the watch he had on and placed it inside the box. He put the watch on his wrist and looked at it once more. The watch looked nice and he had liked the font that his son had chosen. It was a special gift and something that he would cherish throughout the years. He thanked his son for the gift and took it off once more so he could show it to his wife. As Marin finished filming the lovely family moment and gave the phone back to Aishwarya. Junet gave Marin her phone and asked her if she would take video of what would happen next.

 

Geist had gotten up and had left towards the entertainment room. She and Junet had hidden something that they had put together for the father to be. Junet stood up and went up to where Geist stood. She quickly pulled out something from the gift bag and went to up to her brother and gave it to him.

 

“I need you to put this on before we start,” Junet said with a smile on her lips.

 

Shaka unfolded the white tee shirt and read what it said. He smiled at his sister and made his way to the kitchen to change shirts. Shaka came back and showed everyone the shirt he now wore. In black bold letters it read: Daddy to be; it also had baby footprints on it. Marin had started recording as soon as Junet had stood up and would continue to do, as she was sure there was more to just the tee shirt. Junet signal for Marin to stand so that she could leave the space next to Shaina empty. Aishwarya noticed what the two young women were doing and soon got up to usher his son to sit next to his wife. The couple sat together on the long sofa and waited to see what would happen next.

 

“The gift is from several of us, but it’s in three parts. The first part of the gift is the shirt that you are wearing.” Junet explained as she looked at her dear brother. She grabbed the gift bag that Geist was handing her and gave it to her brother. “This is the second part of the gift.”

 

Shaka took the bag and began to remove the blue and silver tissue paper. Inside the bag were six neatly folded white baby onesies. He placed all six on his lap and unfolded the first one. Shaka looked at it first, while showing it to Shaina as well before he showed it to the rest. It read: you got this daddy; it also had arrows printed, each one signaling where each arm, leg, and head went. Shaka made sure to show it to everyone before moving on to the next one. The second onesie he unfolded read: Daddy Keep Calm and Call Mommy.  Shaka and Shaina laughed as they read it and then showed it to everyone. The third onesie read: Best Oops Eve; which once the couple read it both gave a tight smile, but remained silent. He showed to the rest of the group and none knew how to respond to it. The moment had become awkward, but it was nothing in comparison to what would happen next.

 

Shaka unfolded the fourth onesie and both he and Shaina looked up at Geist and Junet once they had finished reading what was printed on it. The couple saw how the two women looked at them with a mischievous smile adorning their lips. The printed text on the onesie wasn’t as funny as the other ones, but it was a cold reminder that their past would always be very much present in their lives. Madhuri grew a little impatient and asked the couple to show them what it said. Reluctantly, Shaka turned the onesie around so that the rest of group would read what it said. In black bold letters it read, I’m what happened in Vegas. The room was once again silent. The moment was worse in comparison to the awkwardness they felt from the previous one.

 

Aishwarya and Madhuri managed to stifle a smile, as the look on the couple’s face said that they weren’t amused by the reminder of their mistake. Madhuri told her granddaughter that it wasn’t very nice of her, even though she wanted to laugh as well. Geist and Junet had never meant to offend the couple in any way. Both women looked at one another and silently agreed that it was way too soon to joke around about what had happened. Aishwarya decided to take charge and asked her son to read the next one. She hoped that it would take off the tension that those simple world had created. Shaka placed aside the onesie he had in his hand and put it with the others that they had seen. He hoped that the last one wasn’t in poor taste just like the previous one. He unfolded the sixth and last onesie and read it along with Shaina. The couple didn’t say much to one another as they looked at each other for a moment. Shaina looked at her so-called husband and just nodded in agreement to what was written on the onesie.

 

“What does it say?” Madhuri asked as she had noticed the couple was smiling. She felt concerned thinking that maybe that onesie was in poor taste just like the other one.

 

“It says... Dear daddy, I may not be born yet. But I can tell you are going to be an amazing father. Happy pre father’s day. Love. Your baby.” Junet read it out loud once her brother had turned it for all of them to read.

 

“Oh… That is so sweet.” Aishwarya gushed over the words her daughter had read. She was about to stand up when Junet put her arm out and asked her to wait.

 

“We have one more gift for the father-to-be. Junet, Marin and I actually had a good time getting this one.” Geist said as she gave the box to her brother-in-law.  She smiled at both at them before she stepped away and returned to where she had been standing. “Mu couldn’t be here for obvious reasons, but we have to give him credit in this as well. He helped us out with this amazing gift.”

 

Shaka placed the box on the floor and pulled out a nice large basket filled with many items. Shaina helped him out by moving the cardboard box and placing it out of their way. Shaka placed the basket on the coffee table and took the paper that was attached to the box. In bold letters on top, it read, daddy-to-be survival kit. He was about to start reading it when his sister stopped him.

 

“You have to read it out loud for everyone to hear,” Junet said with a smile on her lips.

 

“Okay,” Shaka said as he gave into his sister’s demand. Shaka placed the paper between him and Shaina so that she could read what was written on it. He cleared his throat and began.

 

Daddy-to-be Survival Kit

This holds a little bit of what you will need for when I am here.

A pacifier, this will be used only in case of extreme emergency!

Several Paddington bear books, these are for you to read me a bedtime story.

(Dadi Aishwarya told me that these were your favorite ones when you were a baby like me.)

A toy rattle, this is for you to try and keep me entertained!

A pair of rubber gloves and nose plugs as well, these are for when you change my dirty diaper.

A large coffee mug, as you will be needing to stay up with me throughout the night.

A packet of earplugs. These are going to be useful for when you meditate or to hear yourself think.

Several bibs, these will try to help you avoid any messes when mommy lets you feed me.

Hugs and Kisses. Never forget to give me and mommy lots of hugs and kisses every day.

A pack of band-aids, there are for you to always fix my boo-boos.

A bottle of wine, this will help mommy and you relax once I fall asleep.

The onesies that my aunties gave you, these are for me to show everyone how special my daddy is.

A pack of condoms, these are because I will need your full attention before you decided to give me a little brother or a little sister.

 

I know we haven’t met yet since I am still working on it, but I love you so much already.

Happy pre-Father’s Day, Daddy

 

Shaka finished reading the paper and placed it back on the basket and smiled at everyone. He stood up from where he sat and thanked his sister as he walked up to her and hugged her. Shaka had not expected a gift at all since it was a day to celebrate his father. It felt different to be called a soon-to-be father, or a father, for that matter. He was well aware of it, the woman he had been sitting next to was the daily reminder of that, but it was something that he wasn’t completely used to. Shaka found himself embracing that more and more every day.

 

As everyone was busy congratulation the father-to-be, Shaina had taken the opportunity to slip away into the hallway. All the hormones and emotions running through her body had been a little too much for her. So much so, that it had made her stomach turn and she would end up vomiting in front of everyone if she had stayed any longer. She entered the bathroom and as soon as she put the toilet seat up, she purged everything that her stomach contained. She only hoped that all that she was feeling at that moment would also be purged out of her. Shaina wiped her mouth with a piece of toilet paper and sat on the cool bathroom floor. She leaned her head back on the wall and tried to relax. It was getting late; she was tired, and sleepy, and wanted that day to end.

 

 

**_ June 20th 1 pm _ **

 

Josephina finished cleaning the kitchen; she looked at her watch and saw that Geist would get there any moment. The older woman had arrived very early that morning in order to make Shaka breakfast and be informed of anything that needed special attention. She had kept an eye on Shaina, as she had cleaned the house and made her breakfast. Shaina hadn’t been able to eat much that morning due to the nausea and had even ended up running towards the bathroom on two separate occasions. Shaina had ended up sleeping throughout most of the morning. Josephina had taken care of all the housework and had even gone as far as to turn Shaina’s cell phone off so she could rest.  Around eleven-thirty, Shaka had called Josefina to ask how Shaina was doing since Shaina’s phone was going straight to voicemail. Josefina had filled him in on how Shaina was doing and had even informed him that she would be leaving around one o’clock. The older woman assured Shaka that Shaina would be fine and that Geist would be the one to take care of Shaina until he would get home. Josefina knew that Shaina’s husband was worried about her, and no matter what she would tell him, he would still be worried. She knew that sooner or later Shaina would end up throwing a fit; she just hoped that someone would be nice enough to warn him.

 

The sound of the front door closing was enough to let her know that Geist had arrived. Josephina continued putting away the dishes that were done washing in the dishwasher. She didn’t stop what she was doing as Geist would find her soon enough. As she finished putting everything away, Geist entered the kitchen and greeted her.

 

“Phina, how is she doing since we last spoke?” Geist asked as she went straight for the fridge after greeting her. “Is she any better?”

 

“Shaina is sleeping right now. After I spoke with you while she ate breakfast, she felt sick to her stomach and didn't want to eat after that.”  Josephina walked towards to the living room followed closely by Geist. She stopped mid-step and turned to look at the young woman. “I'm really worried about her Geist. Your mother was not this sick and she was pregnant with you both.”

 

“The doctor wouldn't have released her from the hospital if she wasn't fine, Phina.” Geist tried to reassure the older woman.  “She has a husband that's a doctor for crying out loud.”

 

“That girl is stressed, she hardly eats, and she works nonstop, and is carrying a child she might lose.” Josephina grabbed her purse and her umbrella before she continued what she was saying. “I hope she doesn't lose the baby; it’s the one thing I'm sure she won't be able to handle. Shaina is a tough girl, but I don't see her able to handle having a miscarriage.”

 

“Let's hope she doesn't.” Geist wished wholeheartedly that her sister wouldn’t miscarry. She didn’t even know how Shaina would take it if she would actually lose the baby.

 

“Tell me Geist; is your sister in love with her husband?” Josephina asked as she kept an eye out for Shaina. She wanted to be discreet when discussing Shaina’s marriage without her finding out she was asking about personal matters.

 

“No! Shaina is not in love with her husband; at least not at the moment.” Geist answered honestly as she knew that Josephina had already noticed something. She knew that nothing got passed the older woman. “He cares for Shaina, I could even go as far as saying that he likes her, but Shaka isn't in love with her.”

 

Josephina was hoping to hear something else other than what she already knew. The last thing that she wanted was for history to repeat itself. She had already seen Shaina struggle in her last relationship and now this. Shaina was like a daughter to her and the last thing she wanted was for her to be in a loveless marriage. Josephina couldn't do much about it, Shaina was a woman now. She would stand by her to the very end, that's all she could do.

 

“Phina, don't worry so much,” Geist said as she noticed the sadness in the woman's demeanor. She could pretty much guess exactly what the older woman was thinking.  It was most likely the same thing that would cross her mind from time to time. “Those two are going to be fine and I can assure you it won't be anything similar to who you're thinking of.”

 

“May God and the angels hear you, dear.” Josephina crossed herself and silently prayed that everything would turn up for the best. “All right dear, I have to go. I'll call you, later on, tonight to see if your sister will need me or not.”

 

After Geist hugged the woman and said her goodbyes, she walked her out and made sure that the driver was outside waiting for Josephina outside. Once the woman had left, Geist had made her way up the stairs and into her sister’s room. Geist left the door open and quietly took off her shoes before she got in bed. She smiled to herself as all this brought back memories of when they were kids. Whenever one of them couldn't sleep, they would crawl into the bed of the other. That is how they had found their little way of coping. Shaina would be the one that would crawl into Geist’s bed the most, especially when she had been witness to their parent’s arguments.

 

Geist slowly stroked her sister's hair and watched as she slept. Her sister needs to rest, its what she truly needed. Shaina needed to relax and get away from all the craziness in her life, but that was easier said than done. Their father had given them life experience of how work always came first, everything could be balanced in life, but work always came first. Now that Shaina was pregnant, Geist only hoped that Shaina would slow down. Her sister needed to slow herself enough for her to notice that the man she had for a husband liked her and not just because she would be the mother of his child. Geist continued to stroke her sister's hair. It was getting close to two in the afternoon and Shaina needed to get up and eat some food. Shaka would most likely get home late in the afternoon and would have a fit if he found out that his wife hadn’t eaten at all. Maybe.

 

Shaka was on top of it all, it made Geist smile as she thought of it. She liked seeing him worry about her sister and make sure that Shaina was well taken care of. The only one that didn’t see it that way was his wife. Shaina would eventually break and throw a fit about it but that was inevitable. Geist wondered if her sister every worried about him, or wondered what she thought. Geist smiled to herself once again, as she thought of something that she hadn't done in a while.

 

“Shaina…” Geist whispered as she tested the waters before continuing to do what she had in mind. She tried once more after not hearing a response. Shaina’s breathing was calm, giving her a sign that she was in a deep sleep. The second time Geist called her sister Shaina had only sighed as a response.

 

“Shaina, are you hungry?” Geist began her questioning slowly. She wanted to make sure her sister was fully asleep. Shaina gave a muffled no and Geist continued her interrogation.

 

“Shaina, do you like being pregnant,” Geist asked only to receive a no in response. Her sister’s response wasn’t so surprising to her, giving all she was going through, she didn’t blame her.

 

“Shaina, are you happy that you're having a baby?” Geist didn't wait long to hear a yes coming from her sleeping sister. She couldn’t help but smile at her sister’s response as she was a little surprised. Her sister wasn’t as heartless as she made herself out to be at times.

 

“Shaina, do you and Shaka have sex?” Geist couldn't help but smile at hearing her sister mumble a yes as a response.  She wasn’t surprised, that the couple was having sex; it was just good to know that they weren’t going to be celibate for an entire year.

 

“Shaina, is Shaka good in bed?” Shaina's response didn't come as soon as Geist had hoped, but the answer made her smile. Geist thought about it for a second and kick herself mentally for asking such a question. Her sister wouldn’t continue sleeping with the man if he was bad in bed.

 

“Shaina, is Shaka well endowed?” Geist hoped she wasn't overdoing it with her questions. She didn't know how much she could ask without waking her up. She smiled once more at her sister had softly given her the answer she had expected to hear.

 

“Shaina, do you find Shaka attractive?” Upon hearing her sister’s answer, there had been no doubt in Geist’s mind. Her sister was attracted to Shaka, the same as Shaka had answered her that night they all went out to the reopening of Sazerac.

 

“Shaina, do you like Shaka?” Geist waited for her sister's answer. She knew she was pushing her luck in asking her all these questions without waking her up. Geist waited patiently to hear her sister’s answer, but unfortunately, it never came as Shaina began to stir in her sleep.

 

Geist released the strand of her sister’s hair and waited to see if her sister would wake. She was sure of what her sister would have answered, but a confirmation would have been even better. She had been noticing certain things; things that she knew neither Shaka nor Shaina had even noticed themselves.  Geist stopped her train of thought as she noticed that Shaina was waking up. Shaina greeted Geist with a smiled once she’d seen that her sister lying in bed with her. Shaina stretched herself out completely in bed before slowly sitting up, while Geist had already sat up. 

 

“When did you get here?” Shaina asked as she covered her mouth as she yawned.  She still felt tired, even after sleeping for several hours.

 

“I got here around thirty minutes or so,” Geist said as she had glanced at the alarm clock on the nightstand. Once she had her shoes on, Geist walked towards the bathroom and fixed her hair. “Phina said you have been sleeping all morning. Are you feeling any better? Are you hungry?”

 

“I'm feeling better, but I really don’t feel like eating anything,” Shaina said as she got out of bed. She made her way to the closet and grabbed another shirt she could wear. The one she was using was usually for sleeping. “Did Phina leave already?”

 

“Yes, she left a little after I got here and she told me that she would call you later tonight.” Geist stepped out of the bathroom and went to the closet where she knew her sister had gone in. She shook her head in disapproval as she saw what her sister was wearing. “Really, that’s what you’re wearing?”

 

“What’s wrong with what I am wearing?” Shaina looked at herself in the tall mirror she had in her closet. She was wearing some yoga pants and one of her gym shirts. “Geist I’m not going anywhere.”

 

“Let me see what you have.” Geist entered the closet ignoring her sister’s protest and began going through her sister's things. She took out flower print leggings and a solid dark color shirt that went perfectly with the leggings. Geist handed them to her sister and made her way back to the bedroom. “Fix your hair.”

 

Shaina looked at the clothes that her sister had given her and then heard what Geist had told her. She looked at herself once more in the mirror and had to give it to her sister. Her hair was a little messy from sleeping and was completely surprised that she hadn’t noticed that when she had looked herself over. Shaina finished changing clothes and decided that she should let her hair down. She would give her hair a break from been pulled up in a messy bun all morning. As she made her way out of the bathroom she noticed that her sister was no longer in the room. She made her way down the stairs and into the living room where she heard Geist speaking to someone. Geist and Violate sat on opposite sides of the sofa, talking. Violate noticed that Shaina had entered the room and quickly stood to greet her cousin. All three women began to make their way to the kitchen as Violate had been the one to bring them lunch.

 

**_((o))_ **

 

Light music was playing in the kitchen as Violate began to set three plates down in the kitchen island. Geist had called her earlier that morning after speaking to Phina and told her to meet her at Shaina’s house since her sister couldn’t go anywhere. Violate finished placing a drinking glasses in each place and moved on to grab some silverware. Geist busied herself with opening all the food containers and placing a serving spoon in each one. As for Shaina, both her sister and her cousin had told her to sit and make herself comfortable. They weren’t going to let her do anything as long as they would be there. Shaina had just rolled her eyes and had taken a seat on one of the stools. She was starting to get annoyed with the way that everyone was treating her. She wasn’t the type that would just sit and do nothing.

 

“You know I can serve myself, right?” Shaina told her sister as she saw how Geist had just taken her plate and began to serve her.

 

“I know, I just thought I would serve you first, that’s all,” Geist said as she set Shaina plate in front of her as she ignored the testiness in her sister’s voice. “You don’t have to get upset about it. If I didn’t know any better I would say this staying at home and not doing anything is getting to you.”

 

“You think?” Shaina said sarcastically, as she looked at her sister a bit displeased. She had never been in the situation she was in and being cared for almost all day was driving her crazy. She could manage the nausea, vomiting and feeling tired most, if not all the time, but the extra attention, never.

 

“So when is your follow-up appointment?” Violate asked as she set the plate of food that Geist gave her.

 

“It’s on the twenty-seventh. Junet will bring me all the paperwork that I need to fill out, plus the papers that will get my patient file transferred from my former gynecologist’s office.” Shaina said before taking a fork full of food.

 

“It’s going to be a long week for you,” Geist said as she took a fork full of food from her plate.

 

“Tell me about it. I had two trips scheduled for next week. I now have to do an online meeting instead with one of the vendor’s that’s out of state. I have to try to schedule it while I have some quiet time. If Shaka finds out, or Madhuri for that matter, I won't be able to do anything.” Shaina said knowing well what reaction Shaka would have if he found her working while she was supposed to be getting some much-needed rest.

 

“What is going on there, with Shaka’s grandmother that is?” Violate asked after she swallowed her food.

 

“I think she is just ignoring the fact that Shaka and I will split next year. She talks to me like if I wholeheartedly married her grandson and we are happily married.” Shaina cringed at the thought as she grabbed her water glass and took a long drink from it.

 

“Well, technically you are married to her grandson and like it or not, you are legally bound to that family.” Geist pointed out. If there was one thing that Geist enjoyed at that moment was reminded her sister that she was married and had in-laws. The sheer thought brought a smile to her lips, something that her sister caught right away. “The woman is not that bad. I like her.”

 

“She is all yours,” Shaina said indifferently as she placed her glass back to where it was.

 

“I don’t think that she would like me married to her grandson.” Geist tapped her chin, playing around as if she was actually thinking about it. “No, I definitely think she wouldn’t like it. Besides, we all know that Shaka is so not the type of man I like. I think Madhuri likes you very much, the big plus here is that you are giving her a great-grandson.”

 

“Shaka is not my type either,” Shaina said with all honesty.

 

“I thought you liked blond guys.” Violate added to the conversation. She knew what Geist was doing and decided to join her cousin in giving Shaina a hard time. “Wasn’t your ex-blond as well?”

 

“He who shall not be named, ooh, I forgot he was blond,” Geist said as she looked at her sister for any type of reaction. So like always she continued to see how far she could get without riling her up. “So then, the type of men you like are tall, blond and complete assholes.”

 

“Seriously…” Shaina said with an annoyed look on her face. She wasn’t amused by the conversation and the direction it had taken.

 

“If that is true, then Shaka is a major upgrade from the last one.” Violate added as she went along with what Geist had said. There was no lie in the matter; Shaka was definitely an upgrade from the asshole Shaina had dated before.

 

“I think so too. He is really good looking, a doctor, which is a total plus, and he is more of a pain in the ass than an asshole.” Geist laughed at her statement and at the way that her sister was looking at her. “Oh please don’t tell me that Shaka is same as he who shall not be named.”

 

“I won’t say that. I agree completely. Shaka is an upgrade from the ex, and let's just leave it at that.” Shaina had to agree. Things wouldn’t have been the same if she had been in this situation with her ex. Shaina quickly shook away all thought about her ex. She had left it in the past and there is where her ex-needed to stay. “I’ll admit, you are right about one thing. I think Madhuri does like me and it might not be just because of the great-grandson, which makes it even worse come next year.”

 

Shaina’s last statement brought silence to the entire conversation. Next year was when things would come to an end and her life would be different. One of the things that change, would be that she would become a mother. Someone would be depending on her one hundred percent and that was something that Shaina was afraid of. She would also be a divorcee, but for some reason, that didn’t bother her as much. One of her greatest fear as an adult was becoming a mother. Shaina shook her head as several thoughts came to her mind and soon noticed that her cousin and sister were holding her hand. Both women gave her a smile that told her that no matter what happened, they were going to be there for her.

 

“So how was father’s day?” Violate asked as she knew it was time to move the conversation in another direction.

 

“Good. We video chatted with dad as it seems he can’t get away from the office in Athens.” Geist said before she continued eating her food.

 

"Did you do anything else?” Violate asked as she tried to continue the conversation.

 

“We spend it here with Shaina’s in-laws. Shaka’s grandmother made food and his mother brought some dessert. It was nice. What do you think Shaina?”  Geist said as she turned the conversation to her sister. She was dying to find out what her sister really thought about having her in-laws in her house.

 

“It was a bit awkward for me. I honestly don’t know what went through your head for doing what you and the rest did.” Shaina said as she looked back at her sister.

 

“Whatever do you mean dear sister?” Geist playing around knowing well on what her sister was referring to.

 

“Okay, one of you has to fill me in. What happened?” Violate looked from one twin to the other. She was completely out of the loop and needed to know all the details of what they were talking about.

 

“Geist, along with Junet, Marin and Mu, decided to give the father-to-be gifts,” Shaina said as Geist took out her phone and looked for the video that Junet had sent her last night.

 

“Aww… That was very sweet of you guys.” Violate said as she took the phone and began to watch the video. A smile appeared on her lips as she saw the part where he and her cousin were reading what said on the onesies. She laughed when she heard Shaka reading the survival kit list, especially about the condoms. “That was really good and very creative, if I may add.”

 

“Mu wasn’t able to attend, but we made sure to send him the video so he could watch it,” Geist said as her cousin gave her back her phone. “I think it came out great, even if it was thought out last minute.”

 

“What did you all do afterward?” Violate asked as she really wanted to know if her cousin had done anything special for her husband.

 

“I threw up.” Shaina blurted out as she pushed her plate away from her. She was done eating and she noticed the look on both her sister and cousin’s face as they had looked at her plate.

 

“What do you mean you threw up?” Violate asked a little taken back by her cousin's comment.

 

“Everyone was busy congratulating the soon-to-be father that no one noticed that I had left,” Shaina said contemplating on her words for a moment. She wasn’t sure if they had come out sounding a bit bitter or even jealous of Shaka being celebrated for soon becoming a father.

 

“Did you give him anything?” Violate had looked at Geist before even asking the question. She had heard the tone in Shaina’s voice and wasn’t sure if it had been the best thing to ask her.

 

“I’m giving him a child, along with the title that goes with it. I think that I’m set for life on giving him anything on that day.” Shaina bit back, knowing full well that she had sounded angry. She had to admit that maybe she had been a little bitter, maybe even jealous, but it had nothing to do with them celebrating him. It had to do with the fact that while he was being celebrated, she had been the one on her knees throwing up. So far all he had done was come inside her, while she suffered the consequences of their actions.

 

Violate just looked at her cousin without knowing what to say. She really hadn’t meant for Shaina to end up getting upset and regretted asking her in the first place.  There was an awkward pause, a dead silence that no one wanted to break. Geist and Violate knew well that Shaina’s anger would soon dissipate, especially now that her hormones were ruling her emotions. Geist took that moment to refill everyone’s glass and clear the plates. She noticed that her sister hadn’t even eaten half of what she had served her and understood why. She didn’t say anything and just cleared it off and placed the plates next to the kitchen sink.

 

“I don’t mean to cut this silent moment short, but I wanted to tell you that I will be leaving to England late next week.” Violate said getting the attention of both women. “Aiacos wants to go see his family before we make it down to Nonna’s for her birthday.”

 

“You’ll be stuck spending time with Rhadamanthys’ wife,” Geist stated knowing well that there were times when her cousin complained about the woman.

 

“She’s not so bad, sometimes. They finally moved back to England and want us all to get together.” Violate didn’t sound too enthusiastic as she thought about having to take such long flights. That had been her main complaint, having to travel so many hours and being jet lagged. “Speaking of Nonna and going to Italy, are you planning on taking your hubby?”

 

“I was thinking that too. Nonna’s birthday is coming up soon and with all that you are going through, are you planning on taking him?” Geist asked as well. It had crossed her mind before, but with her sister being in the hospital and having to plan weddings she had completely forgotten.

 

“I haven’t told him yet,” Shaina said, surprised that the thought hadn’t occurred to her about Nonna meeting Shaka. “It hadn’t crossed my mind.”

 

“I think you need to talk to him about this before you make a decision. What do you think will happen once Nonna meets him?” Violate had brought up the questions that she was sure her cousin hadn’t thought of. It wasn’t surprising that her cousin hadn’t thought of it, but at the same time, she somewhat understand why she hadn’t. Shaina was slowly becoming part of Shaka’s family and the same would go for Shaka if he would go to Italy. “You need to start thinking about what you’re going to tell her. She will be a little upset that there was no big wedding, even worse, that you didn’t invite her.”

 

“Well technically, none of us were invited.” Geist pointed out and managed to gain a not very nice look from her cousin. “I’m sure Nonna knows by now that you got married. How you got married, I highly doubt it.”

 

“Shaina, if you are planning on ending your marriage by this time next year. I strongly recommend to take a step back and not let his family bond as much with you and vice versa. Have a civil relationship with them, but keep in mind that it should be for the baby’s sake. The same would go for Shaka towards our family.” Violate really didn’t know how else to word it. There were no right words for what she was trying to say. There were really no words as to how to go about all this. “And just in case you were even wondering. I think Nonna will really like him, even if he is a pain in the ass.”

 

“Uh huh...” Shaina couldn’t think of anything else to say. She had a lot of thinking to do and she would have to come up with something before telling Shaka about the trip to Italy. 

 

The three women continued their conversation by taking on a new subject. The change in subject was something that Shaina was thankful for.  She tried her best to continue with the other topic of conversation, but her mind was already racing. There were so many things that were now in her head, but the one that constantly would continue to come up was if Shaka should really meet Nonna. Their Nonna had been a big part of their upbringing, that neither one would have the thought of disappointing her. Yet, Shaina had, and it pained her to think that if Nonna found out her marriage was under a year probation, she would end up disappointing her even more.

 

 

**_ June 24, 7 pm _ **

 

 

Shaina sat on the sofa only several inches apart from Shaka, in their living. Across from them, in one of the living room accent chairs, sat the woman that would be their marriage counselor for the next year, Pavlin Kozlova.  The therapist had called early in the week to set up their first appointment. Upon hearing of the bed rest Shaina had been put on by the gynecologist, Pavlin had offered the service she did to most of her patients. She had been providing in-home therapy sessions for many years and knew that often couples felt more comfortable in a familiar setting rather than an office.

 

Pavlin had received the file on the couple sitting across from her four days after their hearing. She had gone through all the details of the case several times before she had received the call from both their lawyer’s office. The case wasn’t something common for her, but the notes from the judge had given her an understanding of what exactly the goal was. Pavlin went through the paperwork that she had emailed the couple a few days ago so that each one could fill out individually. She set the papers underneath the last page of her legal pad and began the session.

 

“Let’s begin, shall we?” Pavlin gave the couple a curt smile and wrote down something quickly before continuing. “In this session, I would like to get to know a little bit about your upbringing. Shaka, I’ll start with you. What type of home did you grow up in?”

 

Shaina glanced at Shaka from the corner of her eye and noticed that he looked a little uncomfortable talking to a complete stranger. She looked back at the therapist and held her smile in as she imagined that it was Shaka first time sharing his life story with someone he just met. This wasn’t the first time that Shaina had done therapy, yet it had been quite some time since she last had seen a therapist. She glanced once more at Shaka as she heard him clear his throat.

 

“My parents have been married for thirty-five years.” Shaka simply answered as he looked at the woman sitting in front of him.

 

“What sort of relationship did you witness from your parents growing up?” Pavlin asked before jotting down something on her legal pad. She looked at the man sitting across from her and then at the woman who sat next to him.

 

“They love each other, very much, through the good times and the bad,” Shaka said as he tried to keep his answers simple and short.

 

“What sort of view towards marriage did you develop as a child?” Pavlin asked as she once again wrote some notes on her legal pad.

 

“I learned that marriage is something sacred,” Shaka answered without any hesitation. He knew that it had been wrong to marry someone while intoxicated, but he would still do whatever it took to make it work. Somehow he knew that his answer would be questioned in their sessions.

 

Pavlin wrote down the answers that her patient was given her. She wasn’t surprised about the way he answered her question. The way he saw his parents happily married throughout most of their marriage. She didn’t think much about his views on marriage, but it would be something she would like to question a little more. She made another quick note to ask him later on.

 

“All right, now it’s your turn, Shaina,” Pavlin said as she looked at the younger woman and gave her curt smile. “What type of home did you grow up in?”

 

“My parents divorced when I was eight years old, so my father is the one that raised us with the help of his assistant and Nonna.” Shaina had hesitated in answering the therapist question. It was always hard for her to say that her parents were divorced because it was always followed by more questions.

 

“What sort of relationship did you witness from your parents growing up?” Pavlin asked as she noticed that Shaina was fidgeting with her wedding ring.

 

“All I witnessed from the age of seven to my mid-teens were my parents arguing. They had their civilized moments too, but it was always arguments I witnessed.” Shaina noticed the therapist writing down on her legal pad and just looked away. She felt bitter towards the fact that she never saw her parents in love just like Manigoldo had.

 

“What sort of view towards marriage did you develop as a child?” Pavlin asked as she noticed the man sitting next to his wife turned to look at her. She wrote down a few things while her patient took her time in answering.

 

“I think it’s pretty obvious what my answer will be and since I know that you will want to hear it, I will say it. I believe marriage isn’t for everyone and that includes me.” Shaina could feel Shaka looking at her. Her upbringing said a lot about how she had tried to handle things between her and Shaka, and now he had an idea as to why.

 

“Are you on speaking terms with your mother?” Pavlin asked once she finished writing her notes and underlining a few points.

 

“No, I haven’t spoken to her in quite some time,” Shaina answered bluntly as she never liked talking about her mother or the lack of relationship there was.

 

“Is there a particular reason why you and your mother aren’t on speaking terms at the moment?” Pavlin asked while she looked at how Shaina fixed herself once more on the sofa. She could tell that the young woman was uncomfortable with the subject, with the question and with having to share such private details of her life. Pavlin had already decided that she would not push the subject, and would wait until her patient was willing to answer.

 

“There are, but I wouldn’t like to discuss that at this precise moment,” Shaina said curtly not really wanting to get into the subject of her lack of mother-daughter relationship. She discreetly glanced at the man sitting next to her and caught the moment that he was turning away from her.

 

Pavlin gave a small nod as a sign that she wouldn’t explore anymore on the subject of her patient’s relationship with her mother. She scribbled down something on her legal pad before continuing with the session. There was a lot that she wanted to explore the couple’s background, but she would have to go slowly on some of the subjects. As she glanced at her watch she noticed that there was still a good thirty minutes left on of the session, she would have to make the most of it until the time would come to close the session and begin going through a summary of what they had spoken about. She knew the couple would be uncomfortable answering so many personal questions, but the time would come when that wouldn’t be an issue for either one of them.

 

 

**_ June 25th 1 pm _ **

 

Marin began decorating the cake that she had baked the night before. One of her neighbors had asked her during the week if she would make a cake for her book club meeting on Saturday afternoon. The woman offered to pay her for the cake and had told her that she would need it before five in the afternoon. Marin had agreed to make the cake and had told her that she would have it there a little before five. She smiled to herself as the older woman always tried to get her to join her book club. She had thought about going at least once to see what all the fuss was about, but now that she was dating someone again, she didn’t have enough time to do things like that. The sole thought of her dating her ex-brought a brighter smile to her face; she felt happy. Marin thought about the last time she had ever been so happy and the only time that had popped into her head was when she had been with him all those years ago. He hardly spent the night at her place and she hadn’t even gone to his, but she didn’t care. In her mind, they were still taking things slow and that was all right with her. Aioria had been there last night and he had stayed in her apartment until late that evening. He had told her that he would leave, that way she would be able to finish the cake she needed to deliver the next day. They made plans to spend most of the day together on Sunday giving her Saturday all to herself. Sadly, her only plans so far consisted on finishing that the cake and delivering it.

 

Marin smoothed out the buttercream from the top of the cake and removed the excess off as much as possible. She finished icing the cake and then began adding sliced strawberries on top of the cake as decoration. All she really needed to do was finish the cake and set it inside the fridge for an hour or two before delivering it to her neighbor. Marin finally finished her cake and placed it inside the refrigerator. As soon as she closed the door her phone began to ring and she quickly made her way to where she had left it.

 

“Hello!” Marin answered as she began to place the spatula inside the empty bowl of frosting.

 

“Hey Marin, I’m about to reach your door,” Junet said on the other line. She reached the door and as she was about to try to knock on the door Marin had already opened it.

 

Junet hung up and made her way inside the apartment as Marin held the door open for her. She had called Marin early in the morning and asked her if she wanted to have lunch with her. Marin had told her that she had a cake to finish and with that, they had agreed to have lunch at her apartment. Junet went straight for the small dining table and placed the paper bags filled with food, along with her purse and cell phone.

 

“I didn’t know exactly what you wanted so I bought several different things for us,” Junet said as she started taking out the food containers from the paper bags.

 

“You know that Geist won’t be coming as she had a wedding today,” Marin said after she had seen all the food containers on her small dining table. She noticed Junet had frowned as she had finished taking everything out.

 

“I forgot…” Junet pouted as she looked at all the containers of food and then at her friend.

 

“We can head over to Shaina’s and eat lunch there,” Marin suggested as she looked at her friend to her dining table. “I’m sure she wouldn’t mind if we would take them something to eat.”

 

“That’s not a bad idea, but I think Shaina might be a little overwhelmed with all of us being in her house most of the week,” Junet said as she pulled out a chair and took a seat. She waited until Marin got the hint to sit down before continuing the conversation. “Shaina hasn’t been out all week, so I can imagine that she is already on the brink of a meltdown.”

 

“I can see that,” Marin said as she got up from her seat and went to grab some plates and silverware. She noticed Junet had also gotten up and was taking out two bottles of water from the refrigerator. “Ok, so no visiting Shaina today.”

 

“Right!” Junet agreed as she began opening the containers and taking in the sight of all the food that she brought. “So… what’s been going on between you and Aioria lately?”

 

“We’ve been going out here and there, but I think everything is moving along as it should. He came over last night after he was done at work.” Marin said as she finished serving herself some food.

 

“Did he stay over?” Junet asked as she finished serving herself some food as well. She was excited to hear that her friend was dating Aioria. Junet never got the chance to meet him in person when Marin had first dated him, but that day at the gym had been the day she finally had. The man looked better in person than in all those pictures Marin had once shown her.

 

“No. As I said, things are moving along as they should.” Marin said before taking a fork full of food into her mouth.

 

“Please, tell me you are having your way with that tall gorgeous Greek man?” Junet asked after she had swallowed her food.

 

“Yes, we are having sex,” Marin said clearly before taking a drink from her water.

 

“Hallelujah!” Junet said as she smiled at her friend. She was sure that Marin had put the man through the ringer before letting him in her bed. “Do you think he is the one?”

 

“Hmm…” Marin thought about it for a moment. Aioria had been the one for her many years ago, and she didn’t want to get her hopes up once more. “The possibility is there.”

 

“Aww… the possibility.” Junet repeated a little too dramatic before taking another fork full of food.

 

“What about you? Is there anyone that you’ve been seeing?” Marin asked before continuing to eat her food. She desperately wanted the topic of her and Aioria to be set aside as everything still felt so uncertain. She just didn’t want to end up jinxing it.

 

“No, not yet, I just have to put myself out there a little bit more,” Junet said after she had swallowed her food. “Maybe when Shaina feels better we can have a girls night out?”

 

“Sounds like a good idea. Let’s just hope that she gets good news on her follow-up appointment.” Marin said as she reached to grab her bottled water. She checked her watched and saw that It was still early and had plenty of time before having to deliver the cake. “Do you want to watch a movie? We can eat in the living room.”

 

“Let’s do it,” Junet said as she served herself a little more of one of the dishes she had brought.

 

Both girls headed to the living room and set their things on the coffee table. Marin started to look for a movie, one that they would both enjoy, before sitting on the sofa. Junet got comfortable on the sofa before grabbing her plate and then setting her bottle of water on the side table. Marin and Junet agreed on watching a rom-com that they hadn’t watched for some time. They would end up spending most of the day watching movies and eating most of what Junet had brought over. They still missed Shaina and Geist, but things would soon get back to normal and all four would end up spending some much-needed girl time.

 

 

**_ June 27th 11:50 am _ **

 

Shaina pulled the hem of her dress down as she made sure that it was completely down from all sides. She needed to check her hair and her makeup before even setting a foot out of Shaka’s office. To say that she had been a little sexually frustrated for over a week would be a complete understatement.  Her visit with her new gynecologist had gone well. The ultrasound had shown that the baby was doing good; the cramps were still present, but nothing as bad as she had experienced. Krishna had told her that cramping would be normal since her uterus was expanding, but to check in if it would get worse again. He had approved her to go back to work and had been okay with her traveling by airplane. The sex ban had been lifted, as long as it didn’t cause any discomfort, as well as everything else. After a clean bill of health and her next appointment had been scheduled, Phoebe had shown her to Shaka’s office. Phoebe had told her to wait for him there, while he finished with a patient. After Phoebe had left, Shaina hadn’t really paid much attention to her husband’s office and the moment he had entered it, she hadn’t wasted any time. She hadn’t even bothered to put her panties back on after her examination. It was something he had found as a nice surprise when his hands had roamed underneath the skirt of her dress. Neither one had been gentle towards one another; the love bites on their bodies were proof enough.

 

Shaka buttoned his shirt and couldn’t help glance at his wife as he did so. The woman that stood a few feet away from him was applying lipstick as she looked herself in the compact mirror she held with her other hand. He could honestly say that she looked even better without any lipstick on. Her lips were swollen from her biting down on them to muffle her moans, cries of pleasure and from them kissing. He liked how her lips felt against his, but he would never tell her that. Shaka left the two top button of his shirt undone and leaned against his desk as he watched her. Shaina was at the moment making sure that her hair was in place oblivious to the fact that he was looking at her. His mind wandered to the past week and the small arguments they had. It had been mostly her yelling at him, while he remained silent and observed; that is until he gave her some well-chosen words. He just couldn’t understand how a woman that would infuriate him to no end would end up satisfying him sexually. Shaka had structured his life in a  certain way that everything had its order and that included his sex life as well. He was not the type to have sex in his place of work. He hadn’t done that during his residency at the hospital and he hadn’t done it in his office, until now. He wasn’t the type of man that would leave love bites on the person he was having sex with, until now. This woman had come into his life and caused havoc and he enjoyed it to some extent. 

 

“I’ll be heading out now,” Shaina said as she finished placing her mirror inside her bag. She turned to look at him as he had pushed himself away from his desk. “I’m having lunch with Violate and from there I will be heading into work. Hopefully, I haven’t lost my position in the company.”

 

“You don’t have to go back to work until Wednesday,” Shaka said as he now stood in front of his wife. He placed his hand inside his pants pockets and looked at her. For some reason, he felt like he couldn’t trust himself. He even felt silly once he thought about it.

 

“I’m not waiting until Wednesday to go back to work. I like my job, I like traveling and I need to get out of the house.” Shaina looked at him and crossed her arms over her chest. There was no way that she would wait two more days. Having Josephina and Madhuri around had been lovely, for the first three days. “There is a trip to Japan in the works and I would like to be considered for it. I can’t be considered if I’m not there.”

 

“Shaina!” Shaka warned her, he didn’t want another fight, not after what they had just done in his office. Surprisingly, the look she was giving him said the same thing. 

 

“I have to go before I’m late for lunch,” Shaina said with a small smile gracing her lips. They had great sex and she didn't want to lose that feeling you would have after having great sex due to disagreements.

 

“I’ll walk you out.” Shaka didn’t want to pursue the subject of her going back to work. He was thankful that she hadn’t wanted to argue and save it for another day. She would bring it up another day as he was sure it would come up again.

 

Shaina grabbed her purse from the chair and headed outside the office, followed closely by Shaka. Phoebe and Misha were at the reception desk when they saw the couple heading their way. The two women smiled at the couple as they passed by the reception area. Shaina gave them a polite smile and continued their way towards the elevator. They both soon stood in front of the elevator doors and waited until it arrived. Shaka placed his hand on her back and slowly moved it down to the small of her back. The movement itself could only be described as something his body had done instinctively, at least that was how he saw it. She hadn’t reacted negatively to his touch, in fact, he felt how she had leaned into his touch.

 

 

Shaina at the man from the corner of her eye not knowing exactly what to make of that small gesture. She told herself not to over thinking it much as it most likely didn’t mean anything. She dismissed all thought and even the fact that her body had responded to his touch. Once the doors to the elevator opened, she took two steps forward and stopped herself from taking the next. She slowly turned on her heel to face her husband and was about to say goodbye, when from afar she was able to see the two women at the reception desk looking towards them. Shaina smirked to herself and in one swift motion, she grabbed him by his shirt to bring him closer to her and crushed her lips against his. Her other hand roamed down to the fly of his pants and groped his already half erect penis. She smiled to herself as she felt him.  There were no words as to what had possessed her to do what she was doing at that very moment. The kiss deepened as she felt his hands on her waist and slowly made their way to her bottom.

 

Shaka brought her closer to him as he enjoyed what she was doing to him. He knew that he was losing control both mentally and physically, but for some odd reason, it didn’t seem to matter. They were both somehow losing themselves in that kiss. He soon felt how his wife slowly pulled away from their searing kiss. He looked at her and was a bit surprised by how their makeout session had ended so abruptly. He saw how she smirked at him before she entered the elevator. He had to question himself whether she had just toyed with him or not.

 

As for Shaina, she enjoyed that perplexed look that adorned her so-called husband’s facial features. She could also see the two women at the reception desk still looking at them and it made smirk once more. The smirk on her lips didn’t disappear until the elevator reached the lobby. She was sure she had given the two women something to talk about, even better, she had made them believe that their marriage was real. At that moment a small cramp made Shaina stop mid-step. Her hand instinctively went to her lower abdominal area. For a split second, it dawned on her that maybe the baby didn’t like the idea that she toyed around with its father. Shaina shook her head and continued walking down the lobby. She dismissed the thought as she felt silly just thinking of the baby being upset at her.

 

 

After the doors to the elevator closed, Shaka fixed himself before heading back to his office. He couldn’t figure out how he had allowed himself to do what he had just done. This was definitely not normal - nothing in his life could be categorized as normal anymore. The woman, his wife, would be the death of his mental stability. He would have to keep himself in check from now on when it came to his wife. Shaka walked passed the reception area completely ignoring the two women that were pretending to look over some papers. He didn’t even notice that one of them had a patient’s chart upside down. All he wanted to do was to go inside his office and get his work done. He needed to occupy his mind with something else and not on the woman that had left.

 

Phoebe and Misha glanced up just in time to see that Shaka had closed the door to his office. Both women looked at one another and then back at the closed office door. They had witnessed how the couple had groped one another in front of the elevator doors. Both women were surprised, to say the least with that type of display of affection, especially since it was Shaka.

 

“Do you think that they...” Misha tried to ask in a low voice as she glanced towards the door to make sure it remained closed.

 

“I wouldn’t doubt it one bit,” Phoebe said as she placed the papers she had pretended to read, back on the desk. She then noticed that the file she had pretended to read was upside down. She mentally slapped herself for not noticing. “What do you expect they’re in their honeymoon phase.”

 

“I hate them,” Misha said remembering that time in ever honeymooner’s life.

 

“Me too,” Phoebe said as she considered the idea. “Have you ever been tempted to do it in your husband’s office?”

 

“Have you?” Misha questioned in return. She couldn’t deny that the thought had crossed her mind many, many times in the past. Yet, she wasn’t going to admit that to Phoebe.

 

“What are you girls talking about?” Junet asked as she placed two takeout bags on the reception desk. She hadn't really meant to interrupt the conversation, but it must have been about someone from the office because of the way both women had jumped a little upon hearing her voice.

 

“Oh, nothing...” Phoebe said before eying Misha.

 

Junet noticed the little look that the women gave one another and shrugged it off. They were most likely talking about her or something that neither woman would want her to hear. She really didn't care. Junet simply told them that she would place the food in the kitchen and that she would set some plates for whenever they were ready to eat. Both women stopped what they were pretending to do and followed Junet into the staff kitchen. They only had an hour to eat before the afternoon patients would start arriving.

 

 

 

 


	11. Chapter 11

_“No, you don't judge me_

_'Cause if you did, baby, I would judge you too_

_'Cause I got issues_

_But you got 'em too_

_So give 'em all to me_

_And I'll give mine to you”_

_- **Julia Michaels** (Issues)_

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

**Chapter 11**

 

* * *

 

**_ June 28th 12:20 pm _ **

 

Geist read the invitation that her sister had placed on the table right after they had finished ordering lunch. It had been the same invitation that she had received the previous day, with the difference that she hadn’t opened hers and left it on her coffee table. The invite was for the foundation’s biggest charity gala of the year. Geist and Shaina had attended the charity gala for as long as they could remember. It had been something that both women had always enjoyed. Geist read the invitation a couple of times before passing it on to Marin who was sitting across from her.

 

“Are you going this year?” Geist asked, only to gain a look from her twin. Geist shook her head and rephrased her question; clearly, that wasn’t what she had meant. “Do you think you will be well enough to attend?”

 

“Of course I’m going. I don't see any reason why I wouldn’t consider going to this gala. I was even going to ask if you wanted to go look for a dress with me.” Shaina said before taking a drink from her water glass. She took a long drink from her glass before placing it back on the table. “I want to be able to wear a nice dress before my body begins to get all… You know.”

 

“Shaina, you will look beautiful when you’re fully showing,” Marin said while giving her friend a small side hug. “I look forward to seeing you showing off your round belly.”

 

“Dadi and I are looking forward to it as well. Dadi keeps telling me that you will look way better than Phoebe did when she was pregnant.” Junet agreed with a reassuring smile on her face as Marin passed her the invitation. She looked at the invitation over and saw it was addressed to her brother and Shaina. The invitation even had Shaina under her married name. “I’m assuming Shaka declined to the invitation?”

 

“No… He just asked if it was a formal event.” Shaina gained a look from Junet, Geist, and Marin, as neither one of them believed that it had been as simple as that. “What? We have to do stuff like this to show the judge and marriage counselor that we are trying to work on this…”

 

“Marriage! I believe the word you are looking for is marriage.” Junet filled in the blank, only to gain a look from Marin, who was begging for her not to make a big deal about it. It's something that Junet couldn’t get; it was her brother that her friend had married and every time he would be mentioned in the conversation, Shaina had a hard time admitting it. “And before you say anything else, you married a great man, flaws and all. You married my brother, not some womanizer or someone beneath your standards in men.”

 

“I didn’t say anything bad about your brother.” Shaina clarified the tone in her voice had gone up a little bit; giving a hint of warning. “Are we going to do this every time he comes up in the conversation? If so; it will be a very long, very uncomfortable year for the both of us.”

 

“Just say it. Married. You married my brother.” Junet wasn’t going to take her foot off the subject at hand. She had to make her friend admit that she was married.

 

“Fine, Junet, if that is what’s going to make you happy. I’m married. M-A-R-R-I-E-D… Happy?” Shaina was losing her self-control. She always tried to control her explosive temper, but with all the hormones running through her body, it was becoming harder and harder. “Oh and just so we are clear about this. I’m not only married to YOUR brother, but I am also carrying HIS child, which my body reminds me every single day. I took HIS last name, I live with HIM, and I share a bed with HIM. Believe me; I am well aware that HE is a major part of my life.”

 

Shaina was upset now, and the idea of having a normal lunch had passed. She took the invitation from the table while she grabbed her purse with her other. Marin and Geist looked at one another and then at the two women sitting across from each other. They had remained quiet, and now things had gone completely awry. All three saw how Shaina began to gather her items from the table and knew well what would happen next.

 

“Shaina, don’t go.” Marin finally spoke as she saw that Shaina was taking money out of her wallet. She quickly turned to look at Junet and signal her to do something.

 

“Shaina we haven't’ even gotten our food yet. You know you have to eat something.” Geist said as her sister was now getting up from her chair.

 

“I’m not hungry.” Shaina placed a couple of bills on the table and mumbled under her breath that she couldn’t wait for the year to be over. Shaina walked away without saying anything else.

 

As soon as they lost sight of Shaina, Geist and Marin turned to look at their friend. Both women wore disapproving looks on their faces as Junet fixed herself in her chair. Junet was about to open her mouth, but their server came up to their table with their food. The woman placed the plates on the table. Geist politely asked if they would box her sister’s food to go. The women began to eat their food once the server took Shaina’s plate.

 

“Really? Was it necessary for you to push Shaina into saying that she is married?” Marin asked while cutting the chicken of her salad into smaller pieces. She slammed the knife on the table and looked at her friend. “I don’t see the reason why you had to do that. I thought you were past all this.”

 

“Okay, I’ll be taking that.” Geist reached over and took the knife out of Marin’s reach. It was meant to be a joke, but Marin didn’t bother acknowledging it. At that moment the server came up to their table and placed the takeout bag on the table. Geist thanked the woman and proceeded with trying to help do some damage control.

 

“I... I didn’t mean to. It’s just that you have to understand; he is my brother.” Junet tried to say without meeting Marin’s eyes.

 

“....and Shaina is my sister, and she is your sister-in-law. You have to give her time, and you have to cut her some slack.” Geist tried her best to sound nice; she had controlled herself enough to not go off on Junet as Marin had. “You don't see Shaina, and I give Marin a hard time for sleeping with Mani many years ago.”

 

“...or me giving Geist a hard time for making out with my brother on new year’s eve, several years ago.” Marin redirected the attention back to Geist.

 

“I had sex with your brother.” Geist corrected with a smirk on her lips.

 

“I prefer to think that you only made out with him.” Marin quickly responded, not really wanting to remember the fact that it had been in her bed where she had found them.

 

“Wait! How come I don’t know about this?” Junet asked while looking from one woman to the other.

 

“Marin slept with Mani before our second year of college. It was some form of revenge sex for Marin since Babel had cheated on her with some girl. My brother was there, she was there, and Shaina walked in on them by accident.” Geist couldn’t help but laugh as she remembered the horrified look on her sister’s face. “I remember Shaina screaming and running down the hall saying my eyes, my eyes…”

 

Marin and Geist remember that day so well and couldn’t stop laughing. Neither twin had been mad at Marin for having sex with Mani. It was Mani who had received Shaina’s twelve minutes of wrath. She had called him every name in the Italian language, and Mani had just shrugged it off. Junet ended up just looking at both women still wondering how they were just laughing without caring that Marin had slept with Manigoldo.

 

“So how did you end up having sex with Touma?” Junet asked Geist with curiosity.

 

“It was what, four years ago or something like that?” Geist asked Marin as she couldn’t remember how far back it was.

 

“Yeah, it was four years ago, because he wasn’t married yet,” Marin assured her friend.

 

“Ok… Marin and Aioria had thrown this fabulous New Year’s party. I was two flutes in on champagne and with no date, which I had decided to go without. Touma was unattached at the moment, we started talking, one thing led to the other, and we decided to go somewhere more private.” Geist didn’t feel like going into much detail since there wasn’t anything exciting to tell. All three women continued to eat their meal as the conversation continued. “We were in bed, next thing I know I hear someone open the door and say I’m sorry. Then a few seconds after that I hear someone almost yell out Toma’s name. I curse, Toma raises his head and yells out what and Marin slams the door.”

 

“I was looking for my brother. I didn’t expect to find him between your legs.” Marin clarified as she took her water glass and took a long drink.

 

“When you say between her legs, do you mean?” Junet asked not knowing whether she meant one thing or the other.

 

“I was spread eagle, and he was going down on me.” Geist smiled like a Cheshire cat, with no shame whatsoever. She had to cover her smile with her glass as Marin gave her a dirty look. “I can’t complain, he’s really good at it.”

 

“So after Marin caught you two. You…” Junet asked, still wanting to know everything.

 

“Stopped? No, we actually continued and it was good.” Geist concluded as Marin just shook her head.

 

“Now you see why I decided to think of it as them just making out when this is brought up. It’s the image of catching my brother doing what he was doing.” Marin justified herself with that. “I didn’t have time to be upset and if I think about it now, I really just can’t be mad at her.”

 

“Where was Shaina when you caught Geist and Touma?” Junet asked as she remembered that she had missed that party to spend New Year’s Eve with her family in London.

 

“Shaina was with…” Geist looked at the two women, not really wanting to say the man’s name. “Let’s not get into that, shall we. The point we are trying to make Junet is for you to try and let it go. We all react differently, but we have moved on, and there is really no point in trying to push one another. Shaina made her bed, and now she has to lay in it. She has enough going on in her life at the moment, and the least she wants to do is fight with you.”

 

“You heard her sweetie; Shaina really wants this year to be over, and you know what that means,” Marin said as Junet finally realized what Shaina had meant. She gave the woman a sad smile and nodded her head to confirm her realization.

 

“We like him for Shaina. I think he is good for her and he is way better than her previous serious relationship.” Geist voiced her opinion, so there was no doubt that both she and Marin really wanted the couple to make it in the end.

 

Junet sat there listening to both women go back and forth on what they thought. There was much she had to think about, and she had to admit to herself that she had gone a little too far in pushing Shaina. She hadn’t meant to go so far in making Shaina acknowledge that she was married to her brother, but in the end, she had. There was one thing she would do for the time being, and that was, give her friend some space. Junet would try to call her later on that night or wait until the morning. In the meantime, she would continue her lunch with Geist and Marin.

 

 

_**June 28th 1:10 pm** _

 

Junet knocked on the open glass door of her brother’s office. Phoebe had told her that Shaka had arrived just a few minutes before one o’clock and he was in his office. Shaka had been called to the hospital due to one of his patient’s having an emergency. He had been there since nine and Junet hadn’t been sure if he had eaten or not. Her brother looked up from the chart he was reading and asked her to come in. Junet slowly walked into Shaka’s office and placed the paper bag on his desk. She had heated the food up once Phoebe had told her about Shaka being back. He looked at the bag and then at his sister. He hadn’t eaten since breakfast, and it had been a nice gesture from his sister to take it upon herself to bring him food. Shaka stood up and took the content of the bag out. He pulled out a small container filled with soup and another filled with a warm chicken salad. Shaka was thankful for the food, but couldn’t help look at her sister curious about what she had ordered him.

 

“You went to Delicatus for lunch?” Shaka asked as he carefully opened the container filled with the hot soup. He sat in his chair and placed the paper bag on the floor.

 

“Yeah, I had lunch with the girls today,” Junet said as calmly as possible.

 

“Did Shaina go?” Shaka asked as he opened the container with the warm chicken salad.

 

“Yes, she was there for a bit, but left a little too early.” Junet was beginning to get nervous. She knew one way or the other she would end up telling him everything and just hoped that someone would come inside Shaka’s office so she would manage to get out before that happened.

 

Shaka eyed his sister for a moment and then looked back to the meal Junet had brought him. There was something off, and he knew it had something to do with the meal he was about to eat. His sister knew that the times he would go to Delicatus he always ordered a sandwich named the activist, a sandwich which was all vegetables and goat cheese. That was the sandwich he liked the best from that restaurant. He looked at the soup, which was a broth soup and at the salad and had an idea that it had been Shaina who maybe had chosen this meal. It was something that she would eat, seeing as it was light and something that she would most likely keep down. Shaka shrugged it off and began to eat his food. Food was food, and at that moment he was hungry.

 

“I guess she was the one that ordered this meal,” Shaka commented as he took a forkful of salad in his mouth.

 

“Yeah…” The word just came out of Junet’s mouth but right away thought to what she agreed on and didn't know exactly know how to take it. “Wait, what do you mean?”

 

“That she sent me this. As in she ordered it and asked you to bring it with you.” With his sister asking, he knew something was going on, but didn't know what. He saw how she began to pull a little on the side of her pants. There was something obviously going on, and the only way of knowing would be to ask. “What's wrong?”

 

“No… Nothing… Why?” Junet kicked herself mentally as her response had been too quick for her liking. She tried to do the next best thing she could think of. “I have to go back to the reception. Patients will be here soon, and I have to help Phoebe. Enjoy your food…”

 

“Junet?” Shaka knew for sure that something was going on. His sister tended to ramble and talk really fast when she was trying to hide something, sometimes both.

 

The pure tone of his voice made her stop as she had almost reached the door of his office. Junet took a deep breath and then released it before turning on her heel and facing her brother. It felt like a petty thing she had done earlier and knew that Shaina would never say anything to her brother about it.

 

“Shaina and I got into a little tiff right after we had ordered our food. I was pretty much the one that instigated the whole thing, and I got her upset.” Junet said as she took a couple of steps back towards his desk. She slowly reached into her pants pocket and placed the bills that Shaina had left to pay her meal on her brother’s desk. “She left before they had brought her food, but she managed to leave this for us not to pay for her food.”

 

“So she didn’t eat at all while she was with you and the girls?” Shaka asked as he looked at his sister shake her head. He left the fork inside the container and wiped his hands on the paper napkin. He asked his sister if the fight had been about him and Junet replied with a nod.

 

Junet looked at her brother and began to mouth the word sorry, but he just lifted his hand and shook his head. She knew her brother wasn’t a mind reader, but it was easy to figure out what the argument had been about. Shaka grabbed his phone and held it in his hand. He swiped on the screen and searched for his wife's number in his quick contact list. That alone had caught Junet by surprised. Her brother had her best friend on his contacts list, and that is when she finally realized that her brother was married to her best friend. Junet observed her brother as he debated whether or not to call or text his wife. He finally placed the phone back on his desk and moved his hand away.

 

Shaka looked at his phone and then at the containers filled with food. They were reaching the point where Shaina would enter her second trimester, and things between them weren’t going anywhere. It was frustrating to know that Shaina and Junet were still having tiffs about the marriage and him. He sat back up on the chair and grabbed the fork once more. Shaka was going to finish his meal and go on with his day. There were still several patients he had to see throughout the day. After his work there in the office, he would need to head back to the hospital to check on his patient.

 

“Just try to get along,” Shaka said before continuing with his meal.

 

“Shaka, I’m sorry….” Junet tried to say, but Shaka turned to look at her. That had been enough to cut her words on the spot.

 

“I won’t tell you again.” Shaka looked back to his food and continued eating in silence.

 

Junet turned on her heel and walked out of her brother’s office. She knew she had messed up with Shaina and now with her brother. There was something she could do, and she would do it without being present. She would later apologize to Shaina in person, but for the meantime, she would do it from afar. As soon as she reached the reception area, Junet grabbed her phone and made two separate phone calls.

 

 

** _June 28th 5 pm_ **

** **

Geist stood patiently waiting near the balcony entrance at the last event hall she was showing a bride-to-be. After the drama at lunch and driving around showing this bride event hall after event hall, she was tired. She turned to look at the groom-to-be finally arriving and greeting his bride-to-be. Geist took out her iPad from her bag, and she began to take pictures as she had done so of the other event halls. After several years of being a wedding planner, she could easily predict when a bride-to-be would pick the place where they would celebrate the start of their marriage. The Landing, as the venue was called, would be the place where this bride would choose for her wedding.  Geist took the last couple of pictures, and the couple approached her. She couldn’t help but noticed the firm hold the bride-to-be had on her fiancé’s hand. She gave them her best smile and readied herself for the questions that the woman standing in front of her had for her, regardless of the obvious.

 

“How many guests did you say fit in this place?” The young woman asked

 

“The capacity is 200 people, and this venue is strict on the capacity allowed,” Geist informed the bride as she placed the iPad back inside her purse.

 

“Do they have an opening for the date that we want?” The bride-to-be asked with excitement in her tone.

 

“Yes, they actually do.” Geist had double checked the information that the coordinator had given her. She looked at the couple and gave them a reassuring smile. “So what do you think about this event hall?”

 

“I like it; it has that private feeling that I didn’t get with the others we saw today. I’m pretty sure our guest list is smaller than what you are used to dealing with.” The young woman smiled brightly as she looked at her wedding planner.

 

“Compared to the ones that I have done lately, yes, but not the smallest one I’ve planned.” Geist walked to the nearest pub table placed close to the entrance of the room, followed closely by the engaged couple. She took out her phone from her bag and set it on the table along with the binder she carried with all the bride's information.

 

Geist began to go through what the venue had to offer and all the things the place had to offer. She answered all the questions that the couple was asking, in the order that they were asking. The pricing on the event hall was the least expensive from all the ones they had seen that day. Geist always advised them on where it was best to save money and where it would be best to splurge. The couple had already set their wedding date for the beginning of October, and the month of June was ending soon. Time was always something she emphasized the most with all the brides; it was something most of them would somehow seem to forget. Once the couple had all the information they needed from all the venues that they had seen that day, Geist placed everything on the table and gave the couple a moment so they could talk among themselves. She walked out to the foyer, giving the couple enough space. Her work phone began to go off once she had stepped out. The number on the screen was unknown to her, which she assumed that it might be a potential client.

 

 

“Abbot designs,” Geist said as soon as she placed the phone next to her ear. At first, all she could hear was background noise coming through the speaker.

 

“Am I speaking to Geist Rinaldi?” the person asked while the background noise subsided.

 

“This is she; may I ask who am I speaking to?” Geist asked as professional as possible. She walked towards the entrance of the hall and could still see the couple looking over the information she had left on the table.

 

“My name is Aldebaran Sousa; we actually met in one of the weddings you planned.” Aldebaran tried to sound as formal as possible.

 

“Alright Mr. Sousa, would you like to set up an appointment to talk about your upcoming event?” Geist had no clue who the man on the other line was. She usually would give her card to people that were interested in having their event planned. Many of her clients came to her because they had seen her in one of the weddings she had organized.

 

“Upcoming event?” Aldebaran was a bit surprised at hearing her ask that. For some reason, it never dawned on him that she might not remember him. He smiled to himself and decided to do the next best thing, and play along. “Yes, of course, my upcoming event. I thought that we could set up a meeting.”

 

“Sure, I would just have to look at my schedule; just give me a minute.” Geist placed the call on speaker as she looked at her calendar. She had her week mostly booked with bridal dress fittings and several new clients that she needed to meet. The soonest and only opening she had was Thursday. “Mr. Sousa, I have an opening this Thursday at five thirty. That’s the soonest I could schedule you in.”

 

“Do you have anything later than that?” Aldebaran asked as he continued playing along. The idea of setting an appointment was too amusing.

 

“The latest appointment I would have would be next Tuesday at six, I usually don’t have consultations later than that time,” Geist said as she wasn’t sure that if the man would be alright with that. She usually had consults no later than five-thirty, but there was the occasional exception she would do. “Would that work for you?”

 

“That will work just fine. Do you usually meet your clients in your office or can you be flexible on that?” Aldebaran asked as he couldn’t help but smile to himself. He was sure that the woman on the other side of the line had no clue who she was speaking to.

 

“It's usually at my office, but I also meet clients in a more relaxed setting. Do you know where Caffe Vita is, on Pike Street?” Geist asked really wanting to finish the call as she saw the couple was now waiting on her with their decision.

 

“Yes, I actually do. So Tuesday six o’clock at Caffe Vita, on Pike Street?” The man asked making sure that they were on the same page.

 

“That’s correct. Please, make sure to take all the ideas that you and your fiancé have collected.” Geist tried to wrap up the conversation as fast as possible. She wanted to call it a day already and the more she stayed on this call, the more time it would take to finish with the couple she had waiting. “I’ll see you then.”

 

Geist hung up the phone as soon as she heard the man say a short goodbye. She walked back towards the couple and began to discuss their decision on the event hall that they had chosen. It was no surprise to her as the couple had picked the very one they were in at the moment. Geist smiled to herself; she really had a knack for reading what soon-to-be couple would choose for their wedding. Sadly, she had no clue that the man she had just finished setting a consultation for, was the fireman she had sometimes fantasized about while pleasuring herself with her vibrator.

 

 

**_ June 28th 8 pm _ **

 

Shaka was pleased to finally arrive at his home after a long and stressful day. His patient was stable now, and he hoped that he would be all throughout the night. The hospital had orders to call him in case of anything that might come up with his patient. Shaka entered his home and could hear light music playing and his wife sitting on the living room sofa. She was busy reading a book that he couldn’t see the title from where he stood. Her hair was picked up, and she was wearing a fitted shirt and shorts. He never thought that the image of his wife sitting on the sofa while reading a book would be somewhat of a turn on for him. It almost made him forget to ask her about what had happened earlier at the restaurant and her not eating. He didn't understand why things had to be so complicated. The marriage was complicated enough, and the fact that it seems like she really didn’t want things to work between them or take care of herself while pregnant, didn’t make it any less complicated. The simplicity and practicality of how he saw this marriage always seemed to go unseen by the woman he called his wife. Shaina was a complicated woman, and he didn’t know how to make things simpler for her to understand.

 

“How was your first day back at work?” Shaka asked as he stood behind the accent chair that was across from the sofa. He decided to silence his mind for a few minutes and try to have a conversation with his wife.

 

“It was fine, busy, like always,” Shaina said as she looked away from her book just for a moment before going back to her reading. “How was your day?”

 

“I spent most of my day at the hospital, so most of my appointments had to be rescheduled,” Shaka said as his wife once again looked up at him and placed both hands on the book to keep it from potentially closing.

 

“I guess that is why you just came home at this time?” Shaina didn’t understand why she was asking something that she obviously knew the answer. She was really trying to make conversation, it was something that a normal couple did, but for some reason, it didn't come out natural to them.  She had to try and not just see him as the person that she wanted to have sex with, occasionally. “Did you have anything to eat?”

 

“Yes, Junet brought me something from Delicatus, not usually what I eat, but it was good.” Shaka was getting a bit tired of the tedious conversation, and he could tell that Shaina wasn’t much into small talk as well. He noticed how she fiddled with the corner of the page and at that moment he couldn’t help asking. “What are you reading now?”

 

“Oh, it's just a book I bought yesterday after having lunch with Violate,” Shaina said as she turned to look at the book she had been reading and flatten the page with one of her hands.

 

“Is it a book on how to recover a friendship for dummies?” What he had just finished saying was enough to make the smile on her lips fade. He had thought about Junet and Shaina’s tiff as he drove up to their home. He knew that he should leave them to settle their differences, but he was tired of being the main subject. 

 

“Excuse me?” Shaina asked as she put the book down and moved her feet off the sofa. She stood up entirely so that she could be somewhat eye level with him. She had heard him just fine; it was more of daring him to repeat it.

 

“I’m not going to repeat myself,” Shaka said plainly as he looked at her.

 

“What exactly did you mean by recovering a friendship?” Shaina was trying not to let him get to her, but that man knew well how to push her buttons.

 

“You tell me.” Shaka crossed his arms over his chest as he continued looking at her. He wasn’t going to be the one saying it; it would have to be something she would have to figure out on her own.

 

“I wish I knew what you are talking about, but I have no clue, and I’m not going stand here and play games with you,” Shaina said as she turned on her heel and began to walk away.

 

“I thought you liked playing games or is it only when we are in bed together?” He saw as Shaina stopped mid-step and turned to look at him. To say that she looked furious was an understatement.

 

“If it weren't for me, you wouldn’t know how to play games while we are in bed together.” Shaina’s lips held a smirk on her face as it was now he who looked upset.

 

“By far your experience on the subject is more than obvious.” Shaka had taken a few steps closer to where she stood and crossed his arms once again over his chest. If looks could kill, both would be dead by now. “Tell me, Shaina, how many times have you been so far drunk like that day in Vegas? Let’s see, once a month, twice a month, more than twice a month and for how many years? I’m sure that I can easily figure out the years of experience you have over me.”

 

Shaina took the last few steps that separated them and left only inches between them. She looked down for a brief moment and shook her head before looking at him once more. Her left eyebrow raised and a smirked adorned her lips once more. Her eyes still showed anger and defiance towards him. She was raging inside, and the feeling of slapping him and cursing his name was increasing.

 

“I don't consider my years of experience over you offensive as you think, quite the opposite. What I would find offensive if I were you, is the times I've been sloshed to have sex with someone I can’t stand.” Shaina looked him straight in the eye and mouth the word two. She was going a little too far with what she would say next, but at this point, she didn't care. “Don't worry dear with you it was different. Not only did I acquire the help of Patron and Cristal, but also the help of the three wise men; Johnnie, Jim, and Jack.”

 

“Is that why you neglected to inform me that night that you weren't on birth control?” Shaka knew that things were getting to a point where they weren’t going to be a way to come back from.

 

“I am as much irresponsible for that, as you were irresponsible as not using a condom.” Shaina tone had gone up a bit. This argument would not end well, and they both knew that.  “How can an adult male such as you forget to use a condom, or better yet, how can a doctor such as yourself forget to use a condom?”

 

“Must be because I had acquired the same help as you did.” Shaka bit back, he wasn’t going to be the one to carry all the blame for what happened that night.

 

“If you hadn’t dragged your feet in getting the annulment filed we wouldn’t be in this horrible mess.”  Shaina spat back at him. Things would have been different if he hadn't tried to plead his case and filed for an annulment as soon as he had gotten back. She just now realized that she should have done that herself.

 

“We wouldn’t be in this horrible mess if you had been using any method of birth control like all women do. If I didn’t know any better, I would say this was something you wanted all along.”

 

“Yeah right, since you are such a great catch, I couldn’t help myself. What kind of woman would willingly want to be attached to you?” Shaina had to pat herself on the back for holding it together for so long. She would have slapped him by now for everything he said to her. “Let alone have a child with you.”

 

“That’s the same question I ask myself every day about you. You are an infuriating, cynical, self-involved, selfish, stubborn, most frustrating woman I have ever met.” Shaka was exasperated.

The anger in her eyes and the way she was so dangerously close to him was making him a bit uneasy.  He had uncrossed his hands as he spilled everything that he thought of her at that moment. But the moment he had paid attention to how she looked, he had placed his hands inside his side pockets. He just couldn’t trust himself, not when he had her that close.

 

“You are self-righteous, overbearing, egotistical, self-centered, stubborn, frigid, insufferable, controlling man.” Shaina was breathing a little too hard for her liking, but she was a mixture of anger and frustration all rolled in to one. Half into the argument, she got the idea of what he meant about the book. She had figured it out, and it made her even angrier. “Next time that you decided to tell me about how to fix things between your sister and me, get all the facts first. Junet apologized for picking a fight.”

 

“It took you this long to figure out what I meant,” Shaka stated as he continued keeping eye contact.

 

“Mind your own business next time, because no matter what happens in the end between us, Junet and I will continue to be friends.” Shaina tried really hard not to curse or slap him or both. She broke eye contact between them and turned on her heel. She was done for the evening and wasn’t going to continue the argument any longer. It was well past eight and she just remembered something she had failed to mention earlier. With a smirk on her lips, she turned to look at him; it was gratifying to see him a bit thrown off. “I forgot to mention, as a peace offering from Junet, Madhuri came over to prepare dinner for us. She is in the kitchen if you want to say hello.”

 

Shaka stood there staggered in the middle of the living room as he saw his wife disappear around the corner, towards the staircase. He looked at the ceiling and went through the entire argument in his head. He took in a deep breath and slowly let it out; it took a bit of time to calm himself. Shaka ran his hands up and down his face a couple of times before he felt he was utterly calm, enough at least. He ambled towards where the kitchen was located and stood there far enough to see his grandmother standing there, looking in his direction. There wasn’t much he could actually say really. He did the best thing he could, turned on his heel and headed to his home office.

 

 

_**June 29th  7 am** _

__

Shaka rubbed his eyes as he sat on the sofa in the entertainment room. He had tried to sleep in one of the accent chairs in his home office, but after trying to find the right spot for over an hour, the idea of sleeping on the sofa in the entertainment room had appeared in his head. He didn’t try to go up to the bedroom during the night, and he knew that his grandmother had spent the night in the guest room. His body was sore; he hadn’t had a good night sleep and didn’t even want to admit to himself that he missed sleeping next to Shaina. Shaka looked at his watch and noticed that it was already five past seven. He told himself that if he didn't get up from where he sat; he would be late for work.

 

Shaka got up and headed to the staircase which was on the other side of the living room. The noise coming from the kitchen alerted him that someone was up already. Shaka stood in the middle of the living room and tried to peek inside the kitchen from where he stood, but couldn’t see anything. He didn't know who he would end up seeing in the kitchen if he would go in and see. In a small way, he hoped that it was Shaina who was in the kitchen, that way he wouldn’t bump into her in their room. Not thinking about it anymore, he went on his way towards the staircase. Shaka was surprised to see the bed made and his wife nowhere in sight. It didn’t take him long to shower and get ready for work, regardless of the fact that he was going to be late to the office. He made his way down the stairs and into the kitchen. He was a bit surprised to see that it was his grandmother and not his wife who was standing in the kitchen. The older woman sat a cup of hot tea for him on the kitchen island.

 

“Good morning. By the look on your face, I think you were expecting to see someone else.” Madhuri began cutting bagels in half, as she spoke to her grandson in Hindi. The small look of disappointment on her grandson's face was obvious, even if he was now trying to play it off. “You don’t have to deny that you are a bit disappointed. I just don’t know whether because you were ready to make up or ready for round two of last night’s main event.”

 

“Good morning Dadi,” Shaka answered back in his native tongue. He was a little embarrassed by what his grandmother had witnessed the previous night. To be quite honest, there was a part of him that wanted to continue round two with his lovely wife. Mainly, because, Shaina had neglected to inform him that his grandmother had been standing in the kitchen. Now he just wondered if she was still in the house or not.

 

“Shaina left early this morning. She had a small suitcase with her and a carry-on bag.” Madhuri told her grandson, knowing well that he wanted to know if his wife was home or not. She looked at how Shaka now had a worried look on his face. She smiled to herself; that was the reaction she had hoped for. “Shaina had to make a last minute business trip; she told me while we talked yesterday afternoon. I guess she neglected to tell you, the same way she neglected to tell you that I was here.”

 

Shaka gave a simple nod as he felt relieved that it wasn’t what had crossed his mind for a split second. To leave this farce would be something she would do, because that is what it was, a farce. In all reality, they really weren’t trying at all to make a relationship between them work. They weren’t on friendly terms; it was more of a sleeping arrangement they had. A small smiled soon appeared on his lips and looked at the older woman that stood in front of him, getting breakfast ready. Dadi had worded it just right to get a reaction from him, and she had done it flawlessly.

 

“She’ll be back; I don’t believe she will be going anywhere, anytime soon. I’ll admit she gave you one hell of a fight.” Madhuri finished taking out the bagels from the toaster. She finished plating the food, and it also served to make a small pause, for a somewhat dramatic effect. As she placed the plate in front of Shaka, her lips were adorned with a beautiful smile. “She will keep you on your toes; I like her, I really do.”

 

Madhuri stood next to her grandson who now sat in one of the kitchen stools. She got close enough to him and gave him a loving kiss on the side of his head. Seeing her grandson sitting there reminded her so much of when Shaka was a small boy. Shaka turned to look at the woman that stood by his side and gave her a little smile. Madhuri caressed the back of his head and encouraged him to eat. She made her way to where she once stood and made herself another cup of tea. There were a lot of things that the young couple had to learn and the situation that they were in. 

 

“I do have to agree with her on something she told you last night,” Madhuri spoke up as she placed a tea bag inside her cup filled with hot water. She gained a questionable look from her grandson which only made her shake her head. “Don’t give me that look, hear me out first. Junet and Shaina will remain, friends, regardless if you both go your separate ways this time next year. It was wrong of you to try and settle things between them. My advice to you is, don’t get involved.”

 

“I won’t be doing that.” Shaka simply answered as he continued eating his breakfast. He was going to be true to his word and not get involved. “Did she tell you when she would be back?”

 

“She wasn’t sure since this was a last minute trip, either Friday or Saturday. Are you going to call her?” Madhuri asked as she paid close attention to her grandson. He kept on eating his breakfast and took a long drink from his tea. Madhuri smile to herself as she knew her grandson would not answer her question.

 

“Thank you for breakfast Dadi,” Shaka said as he approached his grandmother and kissed the top of her head. He decided to finish his breakfast and get out of there before Dadi would continue to ask questions and expecting answers.

 

“Have a good day; make sure to call your wife.” Madhuri threw in and smiled as her grandson just waved goodbye.

 

There were a lot of things that the newlyweds needed to learn, and the first thing that any couple learns is that it never is easy as it seems. Madhuri knew very well that it wasn’t the first time the couple had fought and wouldn’t be the last. The only difference this time for them was the fact that she had heard everything the one said about the other. Madhuri took her cup of tea and went up to the glass door and stepped out into the patio. She breathed in deeply and took in the beautiful view of the beach. She took a seat in one of the lounge chairs and enjoyed the view. Madhuri thought about her grandson and the woman he had married and the things that they had said to each other. The more she thought about it, the more she knew that it was a petty fight between two adults who apparently weren’t trying at all. Something had to change between those two, but she wouldn’t be the one to get involved in their business. A nudge here and there, but that is all she would do. The thought alone made her smile once more.

 

**_ July 1st  6 pm _ **

 

Geist filled Marin glass with red wine and handed it to her once she was finished pouring. As soon as Marin had the glass in her hand, she quickly took a long drink. It had been a long week, and with the new changes, things had become more stressful at work. The only thing she looked forward to at the end of the day was seeing Aioria, especially in her bed. Things had been going well with them. She was convinced that this time things were different from the last time they were together, even better than before. Marin would need to set up a lunch just with Shaina so she would be able to talk freely about her relationship with her former ex. Once she had a definite confirmation that things were getting serious, she would let Geist and Junet know.

 

Geist looked at her friend take a long drink from her glass, and once she finished, she topped her friend’s glass once more. She knew something was bugging Marin, out of the entire four, she was the one that would always try to drink less. By the way, she had downed most of her wine; it was apparent something was wrong. Geist moved to Junet, who had placed her glass on the coffee table as she was now busy texting on her phone. Geist took the drink from the coffee table and filled it. She couldn’t see who her friend was texting, which made her think maybe her friend was hiding a potential boyfriend. Geist left her friend finish her texting and went up to where she had left her glass and poured herself what remained in the bottle. She didn't have a wedding scheduled for tomorrow which she was thankful for having a weekend off.

 

“Need some more wine?” Geist asked as she noticed that Marin was downing down half of her glass. Marin nodded, and Geist made her way to open the next bottle of wine she had set on the coffee table. Once she was done filling Marin glass, she placed the bottle once again on the coffee table and took a seat on the sofa. “I would advise you to pace yourself, but by the look on your face and the way you're drinking. I’m just going to say; there is more where that came from. What’s going on?”

 

“It’s work, that’s what’s going on. Hannah is what’s going on. Her ruining my life, that is what’s going” Marin was exasperated, as she vented to her best friend. “I’m sorry, that woman, let me rephrase that, that girl is driving me up the wall. Since Anika made her assistant baker to the second group; let’s just say that it's been hard for Asterion and me.”

 

“Have you thought of what we talked about awhile back?” Geist asked as she took a sip of her wine glass.

 

“Yes, but my bank account says otherwise. I have been tempted to go and see if I qualify for a small loan to open a home business.” Marin took a long drink from her wine glass and placed her glass on the side table once she finished. She breathed in deeply to calm herself and get her thoughts in order. “I don’t have enough assets to cover a loan of that size.”

 

“I thought you already had a home business?” Junet asked as she joined the conversation while taking her wine glass from the coffee table.

 

“I thought you were texting?” Geist smiled as she turned to look at Junet, who had now fixed herself closer on the sofa.

 

“I was talking to someone, but I’m finished.” Junet gave her friend a bright smile and took a sip of her wine.

 

“I do that on occasion, nothing serious. If I decided to open a business from home, I would need to get a bigger apartment with a bigger kitchen. I would need to get a better oven, several ovens, and the equipment.” Marin took her glass from the table and drank once more. For a moment she felt she was doing the same thing that Shaina did when she was stressed. Marin had to correct herself; she knew that her friend hadn’t done that for some time and wouldn’t do it for a long time. She really needed for her friend to come back from her trip soon. “So who were you texting?”

 

“Shaina! I wanted to know if there was a chance for her to chat with us from her hotel room.” Junet looked at the two women that looked at her attentively.

 

“I thought it was a guy.” Geist was disappointed as her expectations were wrong; her friend needed to go out with a man, any man.

 

“Shaina will be back tomorrow,” Marin said as she looked at her friend.

 

“I know, but the woman is in New York, the trip back will take most of her day, and it's more than likely we won't see her until Sunday or Monday,” Junet explained as she took another sip of her wine.

 

“What are we doing on Monday? We usually get together, have cocktails and have a cookout with whoever has a place available.” Marin said to either one in particular. Things had sure changed with Shaina now being married and expecting a child.

 

“We can always get together at Shaina’s house; have a cookout, minus the cocktail,” Junet suggested, a little too hopeful for some reason.

 

“Well, it all depends,” Geist said before taking a sip from her wine. Marin and Junet looked at their friend and waited for her to continue what she was planning to share. “Those two aren’t talking at the moment, and I don’t know how things will be once she gets back.”

 

“What do you mean they aren’t speaking to one another?” Marin curiously asked.

 

“Apparently they got into this argument Tuesday night, and they both slept in different rooms that night.” Geist filled in on what Shaina had told her Wednesday night.

 

“Different rooms and different floors of the house.” Junet blurted out without thinking. That little comment alone made Geist and Marin turn to look at her.

 

“How in the world did you know that? Did Shaka say something to you?” It was Geist’s turn to ask the questions. Her sister had told her everything that had happened that night, but she was a little surprised that Junet knew. “Huh… I wouldn’t have guessed for Shaka to be the type that would share that sort of information with you or anyone for that matter.”

 

“He didn’t,” Junet confessed, feeling as she had once again stuck her nose where it didn’t belong. She should have just let Geist tell the version Shaina had given her and not said a word. “Dadi was there and heard the entire thing. She decided to stay the night to make sure Shaina would be alright. She was the one that told me everything since I was the one that let it slip that Shaina and I had argued about Shaka.”

 

“You need to put your mouth to better use than to cause problems.” Geist laughed as Junet just shook her head. “I can set you up with someone that you definitely would like to put your mouth to better use.”

 

“Shut up!” Junet said as she tossed the nearest throw pillow at Geist.

 

“So what will happen on Monday?” Marin asked putting a quick end to the girls' banter.

 

“We'll have to wait and see until Shaina gets back tomorrow.” Geist shrugged her shoulders, really not knowing what would happen. She wasn't even going to try to guess what her sister had in mind once she set foot back in the city.

 

“Why don’t we just call her?” Junet suggested as she grabbed her phone and dialed her friend’s number. It rang a couple of times before it went to voicemail. Junet tried two more times, but every time the same thing would happen. “She’s not answering anymore.”

 

“I would say she went to sleep already. It is nine thirty already, plus she is pregnant and has the habit of falling asleep at the drop of a dime.” Geist said as she grabbed the bottle of wine and refilled her glass. “You didn’t tell your brother about when Shaina’s flight was coming in, right?”

 

“I didn’t say a thing, and I’m not saying anything anymore. I’m staying out of this from now on.” Junet reassured her friends and meant it. From this day on, she would try her best to keep herself from her brother and Shaina’s business.

 

“Promises, promises…” Marin chimed in this time, only to get a throw pillow tossed at her. She moved the throw pillow out of the way and checked to see if her wine glass was still sitting safely on the end table.

 

Geist refilled Junet and Marin’s wine glass, making sure they still had plenty to drink. There was would most likely continue until late, and they had already ordered takeout from one of their favorite restaurants. Junet had rented a movie online, and Marin had already taken out plates and silverware. Geist had taken out a couple of bottled waters and one more bottle of wine, the last she had in her apartment. Sadly, the only one that would be missing the fun was the one that was sleeping in a luxury hotel room in New York City.

 

_**July 2nd 3 pm** _

 

Shaina spoke to the saleswoman about several dresses she wanted to try on. She had picked three dresses that she was sure would outline her curves entirely, and would hide the small, slightly noticeable bump, that her lower abdominal area was now sporting. Geist one the other hand had picked out six dresses all different style and color. She had made her way up to the saleswoman that was helping her sister and asked if she could try them on. As the woman went on her way to gather the dresses that Shaina and Geist had picked out, another saleswoman came up to them with a glass of champagne in one hand and a glass of water in the other. Shaina took a seat in one of the chairs they had, while Geist continued to look at different dresses. Every once in a while Geist would glance at her sister and then would go back to look at the dresses. Geist had received a phone call early that day, as her sister was boarding a plane back home. Shaina usually had a company car pick her up at the airport and take her home, but this time it had been different. Geist couldn’t help but think that maybe it was because her sister didn't want to get home so soon. Once her sister was inside her car, Shaina had suggested going shopping for clothes. For a second Geist had thought she might have thought very little of her sister and her reason not to go back home so soon. She wouldn’t dismiss the idea so quickly, as Shaina had a way to try and distance herself from unwanted conflict.

 

Geist turned slowly and look at her sister, who was now checking her phone. She had heard a familiar chime and was sure Shaina had received and was making no attempt to answer back. At this point it could be anyone that her sister was trying to ignore; it was the weekend after all. It was a well-known fact the Shaina decided not to use her phone much during the weekend. Plus, she had just come back from a long trip. In this case, it gave Geist a perfect excuse to bring up a subject she would have to tread carefully. She wasn’t sure in what mood her sister was in, and it wouldn’t be wise to get her into a bad one. Shaka would be the one receiving all her sister’s fury, in the end, then all Geist hopes of them reconciling, would go down the drain. Geist noticed how Shaina placed her phone back into her purse, dismissing whoever had texted her without texting back. The saleswoman came back to let them know that their fitting rooms were ready. Geist was grateful, and it would give her plenty of time to think about how to bring up the subject of Shaina and her husband.

 

“How does this one look?” Shaina asked as she wore a blue colored, long lace dress. She was looking herself in the mirror when Geist came out of her fitting room.

 

“It’s a little too...conservative, in my opinion. Plus, I think the color is just not your color.” Geist looked at herself over in the mirror as well, as she now stood next to her sister. She was sporting a fixed shoulder strap, mermaid skirt, plum with a white floral print formal gown. She turned to see how it looked like in the back, but she wasn’t too convinced on how it looked. “I like that you want to show off your tiny baby bump, it's cute.”

 

Shaina turned on her heel and headed back to her fitting room without saying anything, leaving Geist standing in front of the mirror. She didn’t want to show off her baby bump; she wanted to look fabulous, not pregnant. The saleswoman entered the room and assisted her with the zipper and helped her with removing the dress. The woman grabbed the next dress and helped Shaina put it on.

 

“How does this dress look on me?” Geist asked as she completely ignored her sister walking away from her. Shaina was in a mood, and there was no way around it. “I like the color but not so much the style. What do you think?”

 

“I like the color, but I don't like the floral print for the charity gala. That dress would be great like for attending an outside wedding or one of those lunch launch parties we sometimes go to.” Shaina said from her fitting room as the saleswoman helped her with the zipper of the next gown she was trying on.

 

“I think you are right,” Geist said as she went back into her assigned fitting room and began to undress with the help of another saleswoman. Geist picked the next dress she would try on, but just by looking at it, it really didn’t convince her that it would look great on her, as much as it had when she had picked it.

 

“Alright Geist, tell me how this one looks,”  Shaina called out as she stood in front of the full-length mirror. This dress was a silk-like satin rose-gold dress, Grecian style dress with sweep/brush train. She liked how the sheath/column silhouette fit her, and the bump wasn’t as noticeable, or so she thought.

 

Geist came out of her fitting room and saw the dress her sister was wearing, but as Shaina turned to look at her, Geist first instinct was to look and see if she could see the baby bump. The dress fit her sister nicely, even the tone of the fabric looked lovely on her, but if her sister was going to hide her bump that wasn't the dress for her. Geist looked up at her sister and bit her lip, as Shaina had caught on to what she was looking at. Geist couldn’t help herself anymore and just couldn’t hold back. Her sister was in a mood and nothing she would say or do would improve the situation. In light of that fact, she no longer had the need to be filtered.

 

“Your breasts look huge, which isn’t bad at all. I guess you bought yourself some new bras when you were in New York. I love how the dress looks on you, but since you are so adamant on hiding the little peanut, that accent on the dress doesn’t help.” Geist said as much as she could and waited to see how her sister would respond. The look on her sister’s face fell, as Geist could see her sister chew on the piece of information. There was only one thing to do, embrace whatever would come next. “Shaina, it’s normal that you are starting to show and it’s okay.”

 

“No, it’s not okay. I’m well aware that my breasts are huge, and I am well aware that I will have a hard time hiding my midsection. I just can’t embrace this.” Shaina said as she gestured all of herself. The tears came next, which was no surprise to her anymore, and all she could do was look up at the ceiling and try to stop the tears. Once she calmed herself, which usually took a couple of seconds, she convinced herself the dress wasn’t really doing it for her and walked to her fitting room. “By the way, I don't like how that dress looks on you. It looks like you're going to prom, instead of a charity gala.”

 

Geist waited until her sister closed the door of the fitting room before she looked herself in the mirror. She bit the side of her lip and tilted her head to the right and then to the left. She slowly turned to her side and then to the other, and she admitted that her sister was right. The dress was blue sequin, V-neck, mermaid style silhouette and sleeveless. It was an exquisite tone of blue, but her sister was right, she looked like she was going to prom. Geist made her way to the fitting room when her phone chimed. Once she closed the door, she checked who had texted her and saw the familiar phone number that she had seen for most of that week. She quickly texted back and undressed so that she could continue trying on the other dresses she had picked out.

 

“Geist, I thought that once we finish shopping, we can grab an early dinner and a movie at your place,” Shaina suggested from inside her fitting room. The saleswoman was busy helping her get into the third dress she had picked out. “I’ve actually been craving chocolate croissants from that place we like.”

 

“Are you planning on making your way back home tonight?” Geist asked as the saleswoman was helping her take off the dress.

 

“Aren’t you supposed to be there for your pregnant sister?” Shaina answered Geist’s question with her question. The reality was that she didn’t want to head back home and see her so-called husband. She missed being in her apartment, sometimes alone on a Saturday night and single, she missed being single.

 

“I am here for you, always. Why don’t you want to go home?” Geist asked as she began to put on the next dress. The dress she had picked out was a little too snug that she ended up taking it off and placed it in the rejected pile.

 

“Why are you just answering my questions with your questions?” Shaina said as she finished putting her last dress on. She opened the door to the fitting and stepped out once again. “You don’t work this weekend, and we haven’t hung around just us two, in a long time.”

 

“Oh my gosh, I hadn’t thought of that, it has been a while.” Geist zipped part of the zipper up before the saleswoman took over. “Sorry, but I made plans with this guy, to go out for drinks. I wish you could have told me before.”

 

Geist walked out of the fitting room, and the first thing she saw was her sister standing in front of the mirror. The dress she had picked out was gorgeous, and bodice fit her perfectly. She smiled at her sister and gave her a nod of approval. Shaina smiled back at Geist and looked at herself from every angle. Geist walked up to the mirror and looked at herself over, and Shaina gave her a nod of approval.

 

“So why don’t you want to head home? I thought you said Shaka had texted you a couple of times.” Geist stood next to her sister as she spoke. She was going to push the subject until her sister would give her an answer.

 

“I never answered him. He practically called me a slut or better yet, a whore.” Shaina sat on one of the accent chairs. She took the glass filled with water that one of the saleswomen had brought her.

 

“You are not a slut, not even a whore. If you were a whore, what would that make me?” Geist asked only to receive a silent response, warning her not to say nothing of the sort. “Just try and take things one step at a time. I’m sure you two will eventually get along, and who knows….”

 

“Stop right there. There won't be any what-ifs after the whole trying to get along. That’s the goal we will be trying to reach, and that’s about it. I don’t see myself falling for Shaka. Other than sleeping with him and co-parenting this child, nothing more.” Shaina took a long drink from her glass and placed it back on the small table. With the conversation alone, her appetite had disappeared and her usually tired, sleepy self-had appeared. “I miss my apartment; the feeling of having a place to call my own and be by myself. Most of all I miss being single.”

 

“No, you don’t. I believe that you miss having your space and even your apartment, but you don’t miss being single. There was a time you hated it, and you loved being a part of a relationship. You just have to find the right one, to feel that again.”  Geist said as she took a seat on the chair next to her sister’s.

 

“I had that already, remember?” Shaina said in a low voice.

 

“No, you didn’t, and you know that very well.” Geist took her champagne flute and took a small sip from it. She stood up once more and looked at herself in the mirror, her sentiment towards her sister was something that she could somewhat understand. “Alright. So, once we are finished here, I’m taking you home, and I will go on my not a date, date. You will make up with Shaka, or at least be on polite speaking terms with him.”

 

“You owe me a night in, just you and me. Chocolate croissants, pizza and a stupid chick flick” Shaina, said as she stood up and made her way back to the fitting room and the saleswoman followed.

 

“Yeah, yeah, I promise...” Geist said as she continued to look herself over.

 

It didn’t take long for the door to the fitting room to close and for Geist to head to hers as well. Her phone had chimed several times, and she couldn’t just stop talking to Shaina to go and respond. The same man had texted her, and she finally replied. Geist smiled to herself as she was really looking forward to what was happening later on. She covered her mouth so her sister wouldn’t hear her laugh - she hadn’t felt that giddy in a long time.

 


	12. Chapter 12

_“I'll take every single piece of the blame if you want me to_

_But you know that there is no innocent one in this game for two…_

_Can we both say the words and forget this?”_  
\- Justin Bieber (Sorry)

 

 

**Chapter 12**

 

 

**_ July 2nd 6:15 pm _ **

 

Shaina placed her hand on the doorknob and then removed it. She didn’t feel like going inside having to play house and crossing words with Shaka. There was still that feeling inside of her, of being on her own without having to see him. This marriage wasn’t the relationship she had chosen to be in; her drunken self-had been the one who decided it for her. Her drunken self-had been the one to pick Shaka as a one-night stand candidate. The more she thought, the more she was convincing herself of not to go inside and head to a hotel. She was practically used to living in one from time to time, so going to one at the moment wasn’t sounding too bad. As she completely let go of the doorknob once more, she heard a car horn honk behind her, and turned around right away.

 

“What are you waiting for, just go in already?” Geist called out from the driver seat of her car. “I thought you said you were tired?”

 

“I thought you had left already?” Shaina asked purposely avoiding the first question.

 

“I won't leave until you're inside the house.” Geist had placed the car in parking gear and was patiently waiting for her sister to go inside, but she had seen her hesitate. It was something odd to see coming from the type woman her sister usually was.

 

“I just thought that maybe I should go to a hotel for the night, you know so that I could rest.” Shaina wanted to slap herself as soon as the words left her mouth. It was the weakest excuse she had come up with at the moment.

 

“Chicken!” Geist said before laughing at her sister. “Just go inside, ignore everything and head straight to your bedroom. Easy peasy…”

 

“I really don’t want to….” Shaina sounded whinier by the second and the more she did it, the more she felt like slapping herself.

 

“Shaina Mahajan! You are making me late, and I won't have time to get ready for my not a date, date.” Geist was losing patience with herself, but mostly with her sister. She hated when her sister would start getting all pouty and whiny, just as much as how Shaina did when she would get into those moods. “Go inside before I get out of this car and drag you in myself.”

 

“Geez…… Okay, fine, I’ll go inside.” Shaina said feeling the testiness in her sister's voice. She turned and placed her hand once again on the doorknob and opened the door.

 

“Thank you. I love you.” Geist said as she started her car.

 

“Yeah, yeah….” Shaina said as she entered the house slowly and listened to her sister drive away.

 

Shaina closed the door slowly and stared at the door for a second or two before removing her hand from the knob and the door itself. There was a small moment when she had liked the house she was currently living in, sadly it wasn't the case anymore. She had called her lawyer the day after the night of the fight and asked if he had found a way around the probation period. Aiacos had been very clear with her that there was no way around the probation period. The best advice he gave her from his point of view was for her to behave and just go with it. Words that she hated to hear from her lawyer/cousin’s husband.

 

Shaina turned on her heel and moved away from the door. The few steps from the entrance to the living room were done slowly and cautiously. She would avoid Shaka as much as she could and lock herself inside the master bedroom. She didn't want to fight that day or even the next few days. As Shaina stepped into the living and was greeted with a scene, she never thought she would ever see in her life, other than a YouTube video or even Facebook. The living room was full of all types of balloon arrangements she had ever seen. They were a lovely tone of pearl white, light pink and gold. There was a massive arrangement of pink peonies sitting on the coffee table. Everything around her made her question what was going on. As she looked at her surroundings, she noticed that some of the light pink and pearl balloons had the words ‘I’m sorry’ written on them. The entire thing was a little over the top for her liking, but she enjoyed the detail and thought placed on the things she was seeing.

 

Shaina left her weekend bag on the floor, next to the small carry-on luggage and placed the shopping bag on one of the chairs. She looked around to find the responsible party for the living room filled with balloons and a beautiful peony flower arrangement. She noticed a trail of small balloon bouquets that led to the dining room. Shaina walked towards the more modest balloon bouquets to see where it would lead her to, only to see so-called husband at the end of the trail. She stopped walking as soon as she saw him. The entire apologetic setup was a little too much, but the thought of being him was even a bigger surprise. Shaka and Shaina stood there looking at one another between the living room and dining room. Silence, it filled the area more than the balloons and flower surrounding them. Shaina remained quiet as she wasn’t going to be the one to speak first. She hadn’t started the fight that night, her plans that night, after Madhuri would leave, would be to start his engine and getting him to fuck her, that had been the plan. Shaina had no one else to blame but herself for the mess that her life was in at the moment. She blamed her pregnancy hormones as well for wanting to have sex with him the moment she laid eyes on him.

 

Shaka had seen his wife since the moment she had stepped into the house. He had observed from afar and noticed the surprised look on her face as she took in the scene. That night after their fight and after the conversation he had with his grandmother, he knew that he had gone a little too far. It was bad enough he had been the one to pick a fight; it had been even worse that he had practically referred to her as a slut. He hadn’t said anything that wasn’t true regarding her sex life, yet he still had indirectly called her as a slut. He had also meddled in something that had already resolved itself. Shaka had messed up to such a degree that she hadn’t answered any of his attempts to talk to her. He had lost count of how many times he had texted her over the course of three days. She never answered his messages were he had asked her when she would be back or at what time. So, in his attempt to apologize, he had called his sister-in-law and asked her for information that would help him learn little things that he didn't know about his wife.  He had hesitated at first, as he was never the type of person that would ask for advice, but had given in and called the one person that could give him the information that he needed as well as keep the entire thing under wrap.  Geist had jumped right at the chance of helping him in his attempt to apologize to her sister. She had told him about her sister’s favorite flower, the things she liked. Geist had also been his only way of knowing when his wife would be coming back as Shaina continued to ignore his text messages. Shaka had planned everything for her arrival; unfortunately, Shaina had made a detour to some clothing store and had hesitated in coming home right away. So he had texted his sister-in-law to check in as to when they would be heading to the house.

 

There they stood, one in front of the other, as neither one of them said a single word. Shaina continued telling herself that she would not be the first one to speak. Shaka, on the other hand, didn’t know how to start. This was the woman that would tolerate him for the next year and the same would go for him. Shaina could see from where she stood, that he had decorated the dining room with balloons and another beautiful bouquet of pink peonies. Since there would be no talking on his part and she wasn’t giving in, Shaina did the best thing she could do at the moment. She turned on her heel and made her way back to where she had left her things.  The moment that Shaka saw her turn on her heel had not been something he had expected. Without thinking he took a couple of steps to catch up to her.

 

“Shaina!” Shaka spoke up. It was now or never. His wife stopped mid-step and waited a few seconds before turning to look at him. 

 

“Yes…” Shaina gave him the simple short answer. In all reality, she was three seconds away from laughing at the grand gesture he had set up. Not because it was hilarious, it was more because she just couldn’t believe that a man who seemed to be a stick in the mud would do something like this. It was a lovely gesture, but a little on the sappy side. He didn’t look like that type of man, and it surprised her a little.

 

“I’m sorry,” Shaka said as sincere as possible. The look on her face when he finished saying those words told him that she was expecting to hear more as to why he was apologizing. He had made a mistake and apologizing for mistakes wasn’t something he enjoyed doing. He took a step closer before continuing. “I apologize for the things I said to you the other day. I apologize if I offended you for what I insinuated about you.”

 

Shaina noticed that he had taken a step each time he had apologized and for a short second she felt a bit insecure. She had been wearing her comfortable three-inch heels that she usually used for traveling. The height difference was noticeable, and she did everything possible to stand up as straight as she could. The anticipation of having him getting closer to her was becoming hard for her to control herself. She bit her lip as she mentally tried to stop herself from doing something she wanted to do.

 

“I apologize for what I am about to do next.” As Shaka finished saying those last few words, he took the final step that separated them from one another, placed his hands around her waist and kissed her.

 

Shaina didn’t hold back, as she returned the kiss almost immediately. It was funny how they were acting with only being a few days apart, but at that moment Shaina could care less. She had taken her vibrator with her on her business trip, and as many times as it had gotten her off, it still wasn’t the same. Shaina shut off all train of thought and enjoyed the feeling she was experiencing at that moment. His hands on her waist and how slowly he moved them to the small of her back, made her stomach flip. It had been a long time since she had felt her stomach flip and it was something that made her feel a little giddy. She deepened the kiss as a sign of loving the way he made her feel.

 

Shaka had missed her, and he would only admit that to himself. He wouldn't be the type to say it, but he was letting her know by demonstrating with his actions. He had also missed having her in bed sleeping next to him. The bed had felt empty in just those couple of days she hadn't been there. He ran one hand through her hair and with the other he brought her even closer to him. Shaka made sure Shaina could feel what she was doing to him. He felt her hands move from his neck and going their way down his chest, to his waist and rested them on his back. She ran her hands up and down his back until he felt her pulling his shirt up and placed her hands on his bare back. She gently ran her newly manicured nails down his back making Shaka painfully pulled away from her. He stood in front of her, looking at the lust and desire he had created in her. Shaka removed his hand from her hair and touched Shaina’s lips with his thumb, and they had swelled from his kisses. Their eyes met one another as Shaina leaned into his hand.

 

“Don’t do it again,” Shaina whispered. She wasn’t asking for much, yet she knew the insults would come up from time to time. For the moment, all she wanted was for him to be inside while she would come over and over.

 

Shaka didn’t add anything to what she had said to him. He took her mouth in his and showed her what he was going to do to the rest of her body. He murmured her name against her mouth between kisses. Shaka moved the kisses down to her throat, to the hollow between her neck and shoulder, making her moan in the process. Her head fell back as she gave him access to that particular part of her body. Their clothes quickly began to come off one item at a time, as one helped the other out in an attempt to get closer to what they wanted. As his mouth found hers once again, and he kissed her hard, their bodies soon found themselves on the floor of the living room.

 

Shaka showed Shaina how apologetic he could be. He would take his time and apologize all night long if he had to.

 

For most of the day, in that living room floor, Shaka had apologized to his wife time and time again. He had lost himself in the euphoric orgasm that they had experienced in the clean recently vacuumed rug. As Shaka laid on the floor with Shaina nestled on his side, he reminded himself that there had been more to his apology than the balloons, flowers and spoken apology. The second and third part of his apologetic evening was forgotten. The second part sat on the stove of their kitchen and the third and last item he had added, courtesy of the last minute information, sat on the kitchen island inside a pink box. There was always a chance that they would get to that part of the apology later on in the evening, but at that moment it wasn’t as important. The dinner he had prepared earlier, he could warm up. The dessert in the pink box could they could eat later, but right now the unplanned part of his apology was important. Shaka soon felt how Shaina softly ran her nails down his chest; his lower self quickly reacted to her attention. All Shaka could tell himself was that dinner could wait.

 

 

**_ July 3rd 1 pm _ **

 

Marin sat in the back seat of the cab she had hailed twenty minutes ago. It only had taken the driver fifteen minutes to get to its destination, which meant that Marin had let the meter run for an additional five minutes. As the meter continued to run, so were Marin’s thoughts.  She questioned herself whether she had rushed to her friend’s house too soon or not. Especially since the house she had rushed to was of her recently married friend. Not wanting to spend more on car fair, Marin took out money from her purse and paid the driver. She made her way to the front door of the house once she had exited the cab. The walk from the taxi to the house proved to be too long for Marin and tried to hurry her step. Marin rang the doorbell countless of times as she waited impatiently for her friend to open the door.

 

“He stood me up!” Those were Marin’s words as soon as her best friend had opened the door and stepped inside.

 

“Sure come in, make yourself at home,” Shaina said as she closed the door after her friend had walked past her.

 

“He won’t even answer my calls or text me back. I honestly don’t...” Marin rendered herself speechless as she saw Misty and Shaka clearing the balloon arrangement from the living room. “What’s going on here?”

 

“I’ll tell you after you finish telling me what happened to you. Come on; I set up something for us on the patio.” Shaina said as she met her friend at the foot of the living room.

 

“Shaina, this is……” Marin couldn’t find the words to express what she was seeing.

 

“...over the top? Yes, I know. You should have seen it yesterday when I got home.” Shaina said as they both passed through the living room and headed to where the glass doors were. “The dining room was the first one they cleared out.”

 

“What exactly happened?” Marin asked as both women stepped out into the patio, where Shaina had set cold drinks for them and some snacks.

 

“Nope, we will start with you, and then we’ll continue with me.” Shaina took a seat in one of the chairs and opened one of the water bottles. “So you mentioned that he stood you up?”

 

“Yeah, we had talked about having brunch several times this week, and then he doesn’t show up. I sat there at the restaurant for two hours, two hours Shaina. It can’t be work; I just know it can’t be work.” Marin went straight for the bowl filled with chips as soon as she took a seat. She ate a couple of chips before saying out loud the thoughts that were invading her mind. “What if he is cheating on me?”

 

“What if he isn’t?” Shaina responded with a question of her own. It’s evident that Marin had already entertained that idea from her trip from the restaurant to the moment she had said it out loud.

 

“Shaina, I don’t think I could handle him cheating on me, not after what he put me through the last time.” Marin took a handful of chips and munched on a couple.

 

“What if something came up and he’s busy? Didn’t you once mentioned Aioria has a brother or sister?” Shaina asked trying to put another spin on her best friend’s way of thinking. She didn’t have the heart to tell her friend that her hunch might be right.

 

“Brother. Aioros, he has a brother named Aioros.” Marin said as she opened the bottled water and took a long drink from it.

 

“Wait… His brother’s name is Aioros, as in Aioros Drivas?” Shaina asked surprised as she placed her bottle back on the table.

 

“Yes. Why?” Marin asked a little curious at her friend’s reaction to the man’s name.

 

“Aioros Drivas is Shaka’s lawyer.” Shaina leaned back in her chair and shook her head. “I can’t believe it just dawned on me that the two men could be related. What a small world?”

 

“It is a small world. How do you think those two know each other?” Marin asked as she looked out into the scenery that was in front of them.

 

“I don’t know, and before you ask, no, I’m not curious in finding out.” Shaina grabbed a chip from the bowl and placed it in her mouth. The only thing she cared for at the moment was if Aioria was cheating on her friend. The possibility was there, but to tell that to Marin would be a huge mistake. So she did the best thing she could think of, and that was to give her simple advice. “Don’t text him anymore today and if you do, which we both know you will - wait until later on in the evening.”

 

“I’ll try,” Marin said as she took a couple of more chips in her hand. A month of dating her ex again and here she was dealing with his drama, again. Marin turned her head back to the house and saw Misty holding several balloons in his hand. She smiled to herself and asked her friend what she wanted to know since she had seen the arrangements in the living room. “So what’s with the balloons?”

 

“Shaka apologized for the fight we had this past Tuesday. Scratch that, for the fight, he started on Tuesday.” Shaina corrected herself as she looked towards the house. She wasn’t going to be the one to say that she had started that fight, she would accredit all to him. “He made dinner and even brought dessert, which was chocolate croissants. I have a strong suspicion that my lovely twin had something to do with all this.”

 

“I think if Geist had a hand in this apology, then she would have suggested something completely different.” Marin looked away and back towards the beach. She laughed to herself at the thought of Geist suggesting balloon bouquets and arrangements. “What makes you think that Geist is in all this?”

 

“Please, the man hardly knows what food I like, let alone what flower I like. I thought it might have been Junet the one that had told him but then late at night when we finished fucking each other senseless, we had dessert.” Shaina gained a look from her friend as if urging her to continue her deduction. “The chocolate croissants gave it away. After I arrived yesterday, Geist and I went shopping. I mentioned that I had been craving chocolate croissants from that place we like and lo and behold.”

 

“You got to give him credit, at least he apologized.” Marin smiled at her friend and then caught what her friend had said previously. She wasn’t going to let it just slip away into other subjects of conversation. “So, you two had crazy make-up sex or was it romantic lovemaking?”

 

Shaina had to stop herself from shocking on her drink of water. She looked at Marin as she coughed away what little water had managed to go down the wrong way. She hadn't expected for Marin to bring up that part out of everything was said. Once the coughing had subsided, and she had calmed herself, she decided to prolong the answer to her friend’s question. Shaina smirked at her friend and made her wait just a few more seconds.

 

“When have you known me to refer sex as making love? The thought of those words coming out of my mouth makes me sick to my stomach.” Shaina leaned back in her chair and looked out towards the ocean.  “It was crazy make-up sex, plain and simple. There is no romance in this so-called marriage we know that the majority knows that.”

 

“If anyone saw what I've seen, they would think otherwise,” Marin said as she took her bottle of water from the table. She knew that later rather than sooner, those two would end up falling for one another. For this time only, she would not say a word about it. “So I shouldn’t text him until later on in the evening?”

 

“That should be the plan,” Shaina answered and was grateful that her friend hadn’t continued the subject of her and Shaka having sex. She had to give Marin credit for dropping the subject and returning to the subject that had brought her to her house. “Just wait and be patient. There is always a perfectly good explanation, and we always tend to ruin it by worrying about the hundreds of case scenarios in our head.”

 

“I know…” Marin agreed with what Shaina had just said. Her head was running into conclusions, and that was no way to spend her entire day.

 

The sound of the waves crashing relaxed both women. They both stood up and went to sit each in one of the lounge chairs set on the patio. Every so often the sound of balloons popping could be heard coming from the house. Every single time that would happen, Shaina and Marin would start laughing. Neither one could believe that Shaka Mahajan would be the type of man that would set up such an elaborate display for an apology. Marin looked at her friend and then back at the ocean. Regardless of how her friend had ended up in a marriage with the most unlikely man on the planet, she knew deep inside that Shaka would end up falling in love with Shaina and the same would be said for Shaina. Marin was sure that his actions had touched Shaina and not just only in the physical sense. Time, only time would tell how long it would take for those two to fall in love with one another. Marin had to smile at herself at the thought; there was no doubt in her mind that she was indeed a hopeless romantic.

 

 

**_ July 4th 4 pm _ **

 

 

Junet took the last picture of Shaina and her baby bump. As the proud aunty-to-be, she showed off the images to all the family and friends that had gathered in the living room. Her grandmother had gone on and on about how beautiful Shaina looked pregnant. Aishwarya was completely surprised as she hadn’t thought that her daughter-in-law was thirteen weeks pregnant already. Geist took the opportunity and was gushing all over her sister; it was her only way of being able to without Shaina getting upset that she was making a huge deal. The rest of the group which consisted of Marin, Mu, Shaka and Asmita watched from their seats. Kiki had left his father’s side and was now hugging Shaina, which came to no surprise to some of the members of the current group. Shaina caressed the head of the little boy and looked down at him with a smile on her lips. The little boy looked up at her smiling brightly at her while he hugged her as tight as he could. For the first time, Shaina felt a strange emotion arise in her. She had begun caring for the little boy and enjoyed the time they had watched a movie together and had even fallen asleep on the sofa. There was no way to describe or put into words, the feeling she was experiencing.  Shaina looked up from the little boy and noticed that she had been the attraction of a couple of members of the entire group. Never the one to like being the center of attention, Shaina excused herself and went up to the bedroom to change clothes.

 

Shaina made it to her bedroom while trying to ignore the comments that her friends and in-laws were making. She closed the door behind her and headed straight for her closet. The dress she wore for the picture were making her feel too warm. The air conditioner was on, and the house had felt cool earlier, but now she felt warm. Shaina took the dress off and hung it back where it was hanging before. As she grabbed the jean shorts she had been wearing before the pictures, she couldn’t help but glance at the full-length mirror. She looked at herself wearing only one of the new bras she had recently purchased and color matching underwear. The scale in the bathroom and the one at her gynecologist office had told her that she had lost another three pounds since they had moved in together, but her body was showing her something completely different. From the front, she could see a small difference, besides that her breast had grown a full cup. Shaina moved to a profile position, and that is where she could see the change in her body. She had been caught up with work and trying to hide the baby bump that she hadn’t taken the time to stop and notice what was going on. She couldn’t believe how easy it had been to ignore her midsection while she had stood all those times in front of a mirror. It was a hit to her self-esteem at the thought that she had had sex over and over with a man she tolerated. She had been on top of him many times, and that alone, almost made her feel embarrassed. Shaina hadn’t had self-esteem issues since the end of her last serious relationship.

 

Trying to ignore the self-esteem issues her mind was bringing up, Shaina breathed in deeply and took a moment to see herself from another angle. She tried to quiet all her thoughts and just look at herself and the woman she was becoming before her eyes. For the very first time, Shaina did something that would have never crossed her mind. Slowly, she placed one hand on the very top of her growing pregnant bump, and with her other hand placed on her hip. There were no thoughts, no words that could describe those feelings. She ran her hand up and down her midsection while she looked herself in the mirror. Not only had that moment been something entirely different for her, but it had also been unusual for the person that had witnessed it. Shaka had made his way to the bedroom when he had noticed that Shaina had taken long getting back downstairs. Whether he admitted it to himself or not, he had worried. Relief had washed over him once he had seen her standing in the middle of the closet. He had been surprised for what he had walked into. Shaka hadn’t noticed the change in her midsection as of late. He had been too busy apologizing on Saturday and Sunday to even take notice of that part of her body. As he had watched her pose for the pictures in front of family and friends, he had finally noticed. He felt a bit of shame that he hadn’t seen it before. She looked beautiful downstairs in that dress she had been wearing, and she looked even more beautiful standing there with hardly anything on.

 

Shaina looked up from looking at her belly and finally noticed that she had an audience of one. She felt embarrassed as she had been caught doing something that was so normal to women in her state.  Shaina quickly removed her hands from her belly and grabbed her shorts from where they were lying. Shaka took those few steps from the door frame to where she stood and stopped her from picking up her clothes. He took her hand in his and moved it away from where it was. Shaka placed his hand on her cheek and caressed the smooth skin of her face with his thumb. He cautiously traced his finger down her neck and moved his hand to her shoulder sliding one thin strap off. Shaka held her full breast in his hand as if it were the first time he’d ever done so. Shaina enjoyed the way he touched her body; she met his eyes and silently asked what he was planning to do. Shaka brushed her nipple that stood out more prominently, with his thumb. He had noticed that her breasts looked fuller when he had undressed her on Saturday and had been amazed by it. He had never considered himself to be the type of man that would admire women's breast, but these in front of him were hard not to do so. Shaka began to place her bra back as it was before, the temptation was too high, and he had to show some self-control. Shaka moved his hand from her shoulder and ran them down her side, slowly taking his time, and stopping them at her waist. Shaka couldn’t stop exploring this found new change in her body, something that they both had neglected to do when they had been by themselves.

 

“May I?” Shaka asked with sincerity as he looked her in the eye.

 

“Yes,” Shaina responded as there was no need for an explanation to something they both had understood.

 

Shaka ran his hand across his wife’s rounded midsection which contained their child. It was amazingly soft, yet firm. This was officially the first time he’d gotten to touch her belly in this manner. It made him feel reverent and grateful that she’d opened herself to him and gave him the opportunity.

 

'If only you knew how beautiful you are and look carrying our child, even more, beautiful than before.' He thought to himself. A part of him wished he would be able to say those words out loud, but the uncertainty of her reaction and his feelings for her were much higher.

 

Shaka bent down just far enough to be at eye level with his wife’s belly and kissed it softly. Shaina placed her hand on his shoulder and ran her other hand through his hair. There were no words to describe what they were both feeling at that moment and there were no words that needed to be said.

 

There, in the middle of their walk-in closet, Shaina and Shaka were sharing their first moment as soon-to-be parents.

 

 

**_ July 5th 7:30 am _ **

 

Junet stood near the pick-up counter where they would place her finished coffee order. She had tried to make it early to get her coffee before heading to work. She had left her brother’s house late the previous night, just like the rest of the guest, and it seemed she was now paying the consequences. The only two that had called it a night early was Shaina and Kiki. Kiki had fallen asleep on the sofa watching a kids movie that Shaina had purchased online for him. Shaina, on the other hand, had started dozing off while they were all in the living room talking. Shaina had found her spot on the sofa next to Marin and had dozed off with no one noticing at first. It had been Madhuri who had seen the way Shaina had snuggled on the couch at first; later she had been the only one to notice that the soon-to-be mom had fallen asleep. Marin had nudged her awake and had suggested that maybe she should go to bed. The rest of the group stayed longer after Shaina had said her goodbyes and went up to the bedroom.

 

Now she was paying the consequences for staying up too late. She prayed that the next coffee cup the barista would place on the counter was for her. Three coffee cups later, the barista finally called her name. Junet didn’t take long, and as soon as the cup of coffee was set on the counter, she picked it up.  She made her way to where she could grab a cup sleeve before heading out. Once the sleeve on her cup was in place, she grabbed her cup and was ready to go, until an attractive man in nice looking casual business attire, stood in front of her. Junet didn’t mean to stare, but the man was really good looking.

 

“I think I might have your coffee and you might have mine.” The gorgeous man in the slim fit charcoal colored chinos said.

 

“Uhmm…” It was the smartest thing Junet could say as she was completely stunned by how handsome the man in front of her was. She had seen this man every so often at the coffee shop, but she had never thought she would see him up close. Junet had to compose herself as she realized the word that had come out of her mouth was more of a sound than a word. “Excuse me.”

 

“I grabbed your cup by mistake instead of mine.” The man said as he showed her the name written in the cup he was holding.

 

Junet looked at the cup he was holding and read her name written on his cup. She looked at the cup in her hand and removed the sleeve. In her rush to get to grab her coffee and head to work, she hadn’t spotted the name written in the cup. She felt stupid for not noticing it.

 

“Oh.. I’m sorry.” She blurted out. Junet wanted to slap herself both physically and mentally.

 

“No, I should apologize really. I just grabbed the first coffee to go cup without checking to see if it was mine. I would give this  to you, but I already drank from it.” The man said with a sheepish smile on his lips. “I’m Hyoga.”

 

“I’m Junet.” Junet introduced herself as she smiled back. She couldn’t help but think that he had the most beautiful smile she had ever seen. Acting like a schoolgirl was never her style, so at that moment Junet summoned her usual fantastic self and did something she usually didn’t do. She pulled a pen from her purse and took the cup from his hand. Junet wrote down her number just below where her name had been written down. She gave him back the cup and gave him the nicest smile. “Give me a call sometime.”

 

Junet walked away from him with a smile on her face. She decided not to look back and continued to step out of the coffee shop and into the busy city sidewalk. It wasn’t every day that she would give out her number to a complete stranger, but the man was gorgeous. She had a feeling that she would hear from him soon and would be okay if she didn’t. There was one thing that Junet knew, and that was that she had to put herself out there. It was the only way she would be able to move on from her crush with Mu. She had to move on, Mu was doing so, and he didn’t even know she had a crush on him. Junet walked to work with a smile on her lips while thinking of her next prospect.

 

 

**_ July 5th 6 pm _ **

 

Occupying one of the nearest tables to the bar of Caffe Vita was Geist, waiting for her six o’clock appointment. She had arrived ten minutes early to set up the table with what she would need. Her iPad, her phone and a notebook with a pen placed on top of it, were all placed on the table, with her cup of coffee strategically placed to her left, away from her electronics. Geist was a bit OCD when it came to having her thing in their proper place; only when it came to her work things. Geist waited, and she made sure the cashier knew that she was waiting for a possible client. So there she sat, close to the bar, waiting. As Geist checked her phone for any missed calls or text, even emails, she didn’t notice that her six o’clock appointment was now standing near her table. Geist placed her phone back on the table and as she looked up, she really needed to look up. Out of all the coffee shop in the entire city, Geist’s fireman was standing right in front of her table. Naturally and without any effort on her part, she smiled brightly. Geist stood up and greeted the man, who she had forgotten was taller than she remembered. Aldebaran leaned forward and hugged her. He hadn’t seen her since the wedding and couldn’t help but notice that she was more beautiful than he remembered. He could tell that she was a bit surprised to see him at first, but it didn’t seem as if it were in a wrong way. Her smile seemed sincere and genuine, and her lips looked exquisite.

 

“This is a small world, I mean, what are the odds of bumping into you here?” Geist was delighted to see the man. She played it off as casual and friendly as she could. “How are you?”

 

“I’m doing well, how about you?” Aldebaran asked as he realized that she still didn’t know that he was her six o’clock appointment.

 

“Doing good...” Geist wanted to talk to him, but once again she was busy with work. It was fate, she was certain. Somehow the universe didn’t want her to sleep with that wonderful tall drink of water. “I wish I had time to talk to you more, but I have a potential client coming anytime soon.”

 

Aldebaran smiled to himself and her. He had been right in thinking that the woman in front of him had no clue that he was her six o’clock appointment. The woman seemed to be trying to look around, but at the same time trying to be polite and keep talking to him.

 

“I’m your six o’clock appointment,” Aldebaran stated as she looked at him a little incredulous.

 

“What?” Geist looked at him while being thrown off completely. She reached for her cell phone and checked the name of the person she would see at six. “Sousa, your last name is Sousa?”

 

“That would be me. Aldebaran Sousa, at your service.” Aldebaran said giving her his best smile.

 

“Oh…” Geist's demeanor faltered as she just realized that the man she had thought of while she masturbated for the last week, was getting married. She cursed herself mentally for not thinking that the man could be attached to someone. She usually had a good radar for detecting attached men. “In that case, please, take a seat. Now, will your fiancé be joining us at this appointment or until the next time? It’s alright if she won't, but I will still need to talk to you about the ideas you might have for the wedding.”

 

Aldebaran noticed as if a switched had been turned off on her. She had gone into wedding planner mode and wasn’t leaving him much opportunity to speak. He kicked himself mentally for not being upfront with her the day he had called. In whichever way he looked at it, he should have been clear from the start.

 

“Geist, I’m not getting married.” He took a seat on the chair across from her. She had dropped the pencil back on the notebook as she looked up at him.

 

“You’re not? I thought... Isn’t this…” Geist had to clear her throat and gather her composure. She wasn’t sure what game he was playing or if he was playing one at all. “You called me and set an appointment with me for a consult.”

 

“You gave me your card to call you. The day we spoke, well, you were busy, and I thought it would be a great surprise.” Aldebaran said sheepishly. “I miss led you, and I’m sorry for that.”

 

Geist read the sincerity in the man’s words and couldn’t help but feel touched by his gesture. He had gone above the norm to talk to her and have her for himself. Geist grabbed her tablet and her notebook and placed them back in her purse. She noticed how the man looked at her and for a moment she knew what she was doing could be interpreted as something else. Geist smiled at him while she moved her coffee in front of her, where her notebook used to be.

 

“How about we start by you grabbing a drink and we’ll go from there?” Geist smiled once more and received a nod as an answer from him.

 

For the next hour and a half, in Caffe Vita, Geist gave Aldebaran her full attention. They talked about everything and anything. It was something that Geist hadn’t done in a while with a man. By the end of their night, Aldebaran had walked Geist home, several blocks down from the coffee shop. They had walked in complete silence, only enjoying each other’s company. At the entrance doors of Geist apartment, Aldebaran had kissed her forehead lightly and had said goodnight. Geist stood there completely baffled at the action that had just taken place. She didn’t know whether to write it down as a fluke or a misconnection on his part. She had been funny, cute and flirtatious and there was no way he could have missed that. Geist let out a small curse as she entered the elevator. She had a great night and ending the way it just had made no sense to her. She was not the type of woman to put herself out there if that man wasn’t going to be the one coming inside her.

 

 

**_ July 7th, 3:30 pm _ **

 

Thirty minutes that was all Marin needed to wait before she could finally call it a day. She had already finished cleaning and clearing out her workspace. Asterion had already taken a seat in one of the many chairs around the break room and was now busy on his phone. Marin decided to follow him when one of the girls in the shop told her that she had a walk-in consult for a cake. Asterion looked away from his phone and watched as Marin pushed the chair back unto the table. As a good friend and coworker, he had offered to do the consult instead. There was still thirty minutes remaining and highly doubtful it would take more than that. Marin thanked him and made her way to the front of the shop. Cathy, the shop girl, informed her that the walk-in consult was sitting at the store's usual consult table. She even went on to telling Marin that she was sure the consult would be for a birthday cake. Marin smiled at the girl as she was sure that Cathy's guess was correct. Marin made her way to the small table that was set up in the corner of the shop. She made a quick assessment of how she looked before continuing. She now carried in her hand a pen and a clipboard with an order form clipped to it; courtesy of Cathy. Marin made it up to the table and introduced herself to the woman that was peeling off the paper of the recently purchased cupcake. As soon as the woman placed the treat on the table in front of the little boy, she wiped her hand with a napkin and greeted Marin.

 

“I’m sorry. I think I might have gotten icing on your hand.” The woman said while handing Marin a napkin. She continued to smile politely, as Marin placed her clipboard on the table and smiled politely

 

“Don’t worry about it; it happens all the time,” Marin said taking the napkin in her hand and wiped the smudge of icing off. “So? What brings you into the shop today?”

 

“My son’s birthday is in a month, and I would like to order it ahead of time.” The woman went on as she kept eying at the little boy who was busy eating his cupcake. “I just moved to the city, and my brother-in-law raves about this shop all the time. He brought us eclairs and those little bread-like cookies that look like shells.”

 

“Madeleines.” Marin chimed knowing well what the woman was describing.

 

“Yes, I believe that's the name of those cookies. He also buys the pan and rye bread here. They are delicious.” The woman raved about the things she had eaten from that bakery. “So, since I’m new here and this is the only place I knew and liked so far. I decided to come in and order the birthday cake. I just didn’t know that you had to make an appointment to place an order.”

 

“Don’t worry about it; it's quite alright. We do consultations by appointment, but walk-ins as well.” Marin clarified as she looked at the woman and then at the little boy who was busy eating his cupcake. She had never seen a little boy behaving so well while eating a chocolate cups cake. “What style of cake do you have in mind and for how many people?”

 

“He likes the movie Cars, and Lightning McQueen is his favorite character. How many people would a cake like that feed and how big would it be?” The woman asked as she took out a small package of wipes to clean her son.

 

Marin took out her phone and began to look for one photo album where she had made a Cars character cake. She wrote down the size of it and style on the order form. Marin placed her phone on the table and waited for the woman to finish cleaning up her son. Marin couldn’t help but look at the little boy. He was cute and well behaved. He looked a little like his mother, but the eye color Marin assumed was the father’s same eye color. Looking at the scene taking place in front of her, made her wonder if one day that would be her. Marin snapped out of her thoughts once she saw the woman take the phone off the table and looked at the picture.

 

“Yes, that is what I am looking for.” The woman smiled brightly and showed her little boy the picture before handing the phone back to Marin.

 

“The cake in the picture is made to feed thirty people. Is that something you are looking into or does it need to be bigger?” Marin asked as she took her phone back and placed it on the side of the clipboard.  

 

“That seems to be too much cake, but it is cake after all. I doubt it would go to waste. Like I said before, I just moved here, and the party would just consist of us two, my husband and his family.” The woman took out her phone and looked for her calendar app. “I will need the cake on August the tenth. I wish that his birthday would have been on the sixteenth just like his father, but this little boy couldn’t wait any longer.”

 

“Will you be ordering a cake for your husband, seeing that his birthday is on the sixteenth?” Marin asked not thinking much of it. She unclipped the order sheet and placed it where her phone was so she could start a new one.

 

“Oh no, that won't be necessary. My husband insisted that I shouldn’t get him any cake this year.” The woman smiled as she looked at the woman in front of her. “At what time would I be able to pick up the cake?”

 

“Pick-ups are usually done from twelve until closing hours unless you would prefer to pick it up earlier. We also offer our delivery service.” Marin suggested as she placed the form back to the clipboard and began to write down what she needed.  “Do you want us to write your son's name on the cake or the side?”

 

“I think that on the board would be better, and if you could add happy birthday as well.” The woman looked at her little boy and smiled. She was excited and couldn’t wait to see the look on her little boy’s face when he would see the cake. “His name is Håkon, I’m sorry; I completely forgot to give it to you.”

 

“That’s alright. I would have asked as well.” Marin smiled as she continued to write on her order form. She was about to finish, and it was almost time to leave as well.  “Alright, the cake will be ready on August the tenth. Like I said before, you can pick it up as early as twelve. All I need is your name and for you to fill out the rest.”

 

“It’s Lyfia, Lyfia Drivas.” She said as she saw Marin had stopped writing on the clipboard and looked at her. “Is something the matter? It’s the last name, I know, people always have a hard time spelling it. Here let me.”

 

Marin gave Lyfia the pen and watched as the woman began to write down all the needed information. She played out the bits of information that the woman had given her, and she just couldn’t bring herself to think. It was too much of a coincidence. Marin looked at the little boy that was sitting quietly, waiting for his mother to finish. She couldn’t make out any resembles to the person she was thinking about that very moment. Except for the eyes, that is all.

 

“Here you go and thank you so much for the consultation.” Marin snapped out of her thoughts as the woman in front of her spoke. “I filled in the part of the flavor of cake as well as the filling. He loves chocolate as you can very well see.”

 

Marin nodded as a response and took the clipboard from the table. Soon they said their goodbyes and Marin followed them up to the door of the shop. As soon as Lyfia was out of sight, Marin checked the information the woman had written. Marin saw the combination of chocolate cake with cherry filling and thought of it as another coincidence. As she read the entire order form, she found the one thing she no longer could deny. There, in black ink, in the reference box was Aioros Drivas’s name written as the person who had referred the customer. Marin wanted to fall on her knees and cry, but instead held herself together and gave the clipboard back to Cathy. She made sure to write down the name of one of the afternoon bakers so they could take care of that order. Marin felt a little proud of herself for not falling apart in public. She managed to make it all the way up to her apartment, and as soon as she closed the door, she began to cry. Aioria Drivas had managed to break her heart once again.

 

 

 


	13. Chapter 13

_“The love we share_

_Seems to go nowhere_

_And I've lost my light_

_For I toss and turn I can't sleep at night”_

\- Marilyn Manson (Tainted Love)

 

**Chapter 13**

 

**_July 8th 7 pm_ **

 

Shaina was busy setting bottled water on the coffee table and making sure that she had her saltine crackers on the side table. Her nausea was still present, but the vomiting was slowly subsiding now. Shaina looked up just in time to see Pavlin, their marriage counselor, making her way into the living room followed closely by Shaka who had greeted her at the door. Shaina greeted the woman and took a seat on the sofa while the rest did the same. When she had heard the doorbell ring, she and Shaka had made sure that their phones were in silent mode and that no one would bother them at that time. They weren’t too thrilled in sharing private information with a complete stranger, but they weren’t up to sharing it with themselves either.

Pavlin took a seat across from the couple and began to get her things out. She opened the legal pad assigned to the couple sitting in front of her. She always kept a legal pad designated for each couple or single patient she had. Pavlin took out her pen and set the legal pad on her lap open in the page she had left off in the last session. She looked at the couple and gave them a small smile before beginning.

“Today I would like for us to explore your family background.” Pavlin looked at them and began with the one she had in the first session. “Shaka, tell me about your father.”

“My father was born and raised in England, his father was English, and his mother is Indian,” Shaka said even though he had hesitated in answering. Also if this was the second session, he was still having trouble getting used to sharing.

“What does he do for a living?” Pavlin asked.

“He’s a general surgeon,” Shaka answered not adding anything more to what he had said.

“Tell me about your mother and what she does?” Pavlin asked as she had finished writing on her legal pad.

“My mother was born and was raised most of her life in India, her father is English, and her mother is Indian.” Shaka kept his answer short and clear. He didn’t know how he would be able to do this for an entire year. “She is a retired nurse.”

“How did your parents meet?” Pavlin asked as she looked at him.

“They met in one of the Graad clinics in India where they both worked,” Shaka said.

“Tell me about your sister and your grandmother.” Pavlin leaned back in her seat and Carefully observed the man she had in front of her.

“Junet is my youngest and only sister; she was born in Ethiopia when my parents were working in one of the clinics there. As for my grandmother, she is like a second mother to my sister and me. She traveled most of the time with us when my parents moved around and once my parents settled in England so did she.” Shaka tried to be as informative as he could. He noticed that the marriage counselor finished writing a few moments after he had finished speaking. He hoped that his turn of answer questions had ended for the moment.

“Shaina, tell me about your father,” Pavlin asked as she adjusted herself in her seat.

Shaina took a deep breath in before starting. It was not a subject she wanted to touch, and she was sure that the marriage counselor knew very well. She didn’t mind talking about her father and the relation she had with him. Her main issue would always be talking about her mother. It was a touchy subject for her and not one that she liked sharing with others.

“My father was born and raised in Italy. He is the vice president of the Graad foundation and has been so for many years.” Shaina finished saying as she quickly dreaded the next question that followed.

“Tell me about your mother,” Pavlin asked with her pen at hand. She could see the look on the young woman’s face and noticed how she had begun fidgeting with her wedding ring. It had been something she had noticed in their first session when the subject of her mother had come up.

Shaina had stopped fidgeting with her wedding ring as soon as she had noticed she had been doing it. Not only did she have the attention of the woman sitting across from her but of the man sitting next to her as well. Shaina placed both hands on her lap as to not show how uncomfortable she felt with the subject, even if it was more than evident.

“My mother was born in Italy, but she was raised here in the states. She used to be a ballerina for one of the biggest ballet companies. She teaches in one of the most renowned dance schools in the country.”  Shaina said trying to maintain as calm as possible.

“How did your parents meet?” Pavlin finished writing some notes on her legal pad and returned to observing the couple that sat across from her. She wondered for a second how much of their past did they know about one another.

“My parents met at one of the ballet company events. There is a significant age difference of thirteen years between my father and mother.” Shaina had no idea why she had added the last bit of information, but she had said it nonetheless.

“Tell me about your siblings,” Pavlin asked as she looked at the young woman. She wondered how much she could cross the line when it came to the subject of the woman’s mother. She had to tread lightly, after all, the woman sitting across from her was pregnant, and the last thing she wanted was to cause any emotional distress.

“Manigoldo, he’s your typical overprotective older brother; even with seven years of age difference between us. He always managed to look out for my sister and me. Geist is my fraternal twin sister; we are very close like any twins are. We were all born in Italy, we lived in Italy until Geist, and I turned three, then from there we moved to Greece, France and settled here in the states.” Shaina swallowed the lump she felt in her throat. She couldn’t understand why this was becoming so difficult for her since it wasn’t the first time she was doing therapy.

Pavlin jotted down a couple of things on her legal pad before continuing the session. As she was about to ask the next set of questions, she noticed the ill look on her patients face as the woman had finished taking a sip of her water. She had seen the saltines on the side table when she had sat down, and she could only imagine what the poor woman was going through. Pavlin saw how Shaina quickly excused herself and ran towards the hallway. The faint sound of the young woman purging her stomach soon followed. All Pavlin could do was give the man sitting across from her a sympathetic smile. She understood very well the situation and the condition the couple was in and there was nothing more to do at that moment than wait for the expectant mother to make her way back to the session.

 

**_July 9th 2 pm_ **

 

Geist finished topping her glass with wine after she had done her father’s drink, as well as Theia’s. They had just finished eating lunch that she and Shaina had prepared for their father as a belated birthday present. Both had gone to their father’s house after their Pilates class, and once there they had begun prepping and cooking food. They had made some of their father’s favorite dishes and his favorite dessert. He had been surprised when he had arrived home and found them busy setting the table. Shaina and Geist had left everything as it was and had gone up to him and hugged him. It was more than evident that they had missed him. Now the group sat around the living.

Sage smiled to himself as he looked at both of his daughters. His girls had surprised him; they had always tried to make something special for him on his day, but this time it had been a little tricky for them to be together on that day. It had been a lovely surprise, and he was happy none the less; his girls had found a way to make something special for him. Sage came out of his thought and managed to catch the last of the conversation with what was going on. He smiled and then noticed how Shaina was trying to make herself comfortable on the sectional. His daughter was finally showing, and it brought him, even more, joy than he already felt. Theia and Geist also noticed how Shaina was fuzzing with the throw pillows, but the main attraction was the baby bump that she was now sporting. Shaina finally got in a comfortable position and noticed that she had gained the attention of the small group.

“What?” Shaina asked with a questioning look on her face.

“Oh, nothing…” Geist said as she covered the smile on her lips with her glass of wine.

“No… Seriously, what? Tell me.” Shaina insisted as she looked at the three people that were looking at her.

“You’re showing now,” Theia spoke up as she looked at the young woman sitting in front of her. “How far along are you?”

Shaina looked down at her stomach and tugged a little on the shirt that she was wearing. She was starting to run out of comfortable clothes that she usually used on her downtime. Her self-esteem was taking a hit, and she didn’t think that it would get any better.  Shaina looked up at the woman that had asked her a question and gave her a weak smile before answering.

“Tomorrow I will be fourteen weeks… officially, fourteen weeks.” Shaina said as she tugged a little more on the shirt.

“You look beautiful,” Theia said as she stood up from her seat and went to sit next to Shaina. She hugged the young woman and kissed her on her cheek. Theia turned to look at the other two and had seen the look on Sage’s face and quickly knew what to do. “Geist, how about I help make some coffee so we can soon eat that delicious looking dessert you both made.”

Geist didn’t protest and placed her wine glass on the coffee table before heading into the kitchen with Theia. Shaina and Sage were soon left alone in the living room. The two hadn’t spoken much to one another since that day in his office. The only time since they had spoken to one another was when Shaina had been in the hospital. They didn’t talk about anything else only what had been going on with her and the baby. Other than that conversation, they hadn’t had much of a discussion. Sage stood from where he sat and made his way to sit closer to the oldest of his twins. He placed the wine glass on the coffee table and leaned back on the sectional.

Shaina waited until her father had sat down and once he settled, she got close to him and hugged him. She had missed him. It never mattered how mad they were with one another, and they would always talk or text one another. She had lost that; she had missed him when she had been in the hospital, and she had missed him even more on father’s day and his birthday. Shaina wiped away the tears that shed once she had pulled away from him.

“How are you feeling now? Have you had any more problems?” Sage asked as he looked at her. He was still amazed at how she changed so much since he had last seen her.

“I’m still nauseous, and I still run to the bathroom to empty the content of my stomach from time to time,” Shaina said as she fixed herself once more. “I’m just hoping I don’t end up in the hospital again.”

“You won’t,” Sage said as he leaned forward to grab his glass of wine from the coffee table. “How are things with you and your husband?”

“We are fine, I suppose. Shaka does his own thing, and I do mine.” Shaina didn’t want to talk about her nonexisting relationship she had going with Shaka.

“Do you both talk to one another?” Sage asked already knowing what the answer was. The expression on his daughter’s face only confirmed what he already thought. “Have you two been trying to make things work?”

Shaina knew that her father had an idea of what the answer to his questions would be. The truth was that the only type of communication that she and Shaka had had was sex and very few words in between, aside from arguing. When they actually would speak to one another was when it was in front of family members, his family, to be exact. Shaina looked at her father and just shook her head.

“Papa…” Shaina had begun to say.

“Don’t Papa me, Shaina.” Sage interrupted her before she began giving him an excuse. “I can tell you over and over what you need to do, but you already know what you need to do. Plan a day, an afternoon, even a night, and do what you have to do. You have to start somewhere.”

“It’s just…It’s just that…” Shaina couldn’t form a good enough excuse as to why she wasn’t giving in to trying to have a conversation with her husband.

“It’s not hard for you to set something up, case in point, today.” Sage took a long sip from his glass and looked at the expression on his daughter’s face. “I know I’m pushing you, again, but it’s always with a purpose. You won’t be able to co-parent a child if you two don’t talk, or even spent time together outside the bedroom.”

Shaina didn’t respond to his last comment as she wouldn’t know how exactly to do so. She felt her face a little bit warm and could only imagine that she was blushing. She was sure that alone had been confirmation enough that she and Shaka just spent time with one another between the sheets. Shaina noticed the look her father was giving her that told her he had hit the nail right on the head. She tugged on her shirt as she felt uncomfortable with the conversation.

“Does he know about the upcoming trip to see your grandmother?” Sage asked as he placed his wine glass on the coffee table.

“Yes, I mentioned it to him,” Shaina answered as she grabbed her glass of sparkling water. Her stomach was beginning to give her problems once more. She couldn’t understand why it was still doing so seeing as she was already in the second stage of her pregnancy.

“Will he be joining us?” Sage asked hoping that the answer would be the one he was hoping to hear.

“He is trying to fix his work scheduling and also the consultations he has been helping other doctors. He said he would attend our family gathering. I’ve been around his family; it really would only be fair if he did the same for me.” Shaina said as she looked at her father. She could guess what he was about to say next, but she can as very well be wrong too.

“Good, you both are learning how to compromise, in your way,” Sage said to sound a little amused with what he had said and the look that his daughter was giving him. “Talk with one another, don’t assume. Spent time with one another, it’s the only way you will learn from each other.”

Shaina looked at her father and thought over what he was saying. He was right, and he made sense, and yet she just couldn’t get her mind there. Her father wasn’t pushing her this time and wasn’t doing damage control. He was just trying to help her as much as he could. They both remained quiet for a moment or two as if letting everything set in.

“You are beautiful my wonderful girl, simply beautiful,” Sage said as he looked at his eldest daughter.

“I love you, daddy,” Shaina said as she smiled at her father. She scooted closer to where he was sitting and hugged him.

“I love you too.” Sage reciprocated and kissed her daughter on the forehead.

The two sat in silence, both with a smile on each other’s lips. Theia and Geist made their way back into the living room and began to serve the dessert. The group continued their conversation over coffee, water, and dessert while enjoying one another’s company.

 

**_July 10th 3 pm_ **

 

Junet stood at the entrance of her brother’s old bedroom looking at the scene that had greeted her just a moment ago. Her mother had told her to go and let Shaina, Shaka, and Asmita know that the food was ready.  She figured that her father and Shaka were meditating in the garden, so she headed to Shaka’s old room where she knew Shaina was sleeping. Junet never thought that she would be greeted by her brother and Shaina in his old bed, resting. As she stood there looking at them, she found it quite odd. She saw this situation a little weird, and different, as she hadn’t imagined them together, in bed. Not really knowing whether to wake them up or not, Junet turned on her heel when she bumped into her grandmother that had made her way towards where she stood. Madhuri peeked into the room and saw the scene in front of her and just smiled. The couple looked comfortable sleeping in each other’s arms. Madhuri didn’t find it surprising at all, as she figured that this was indeed the way the couple slept.

“I thought your mother sent you to wake Shaina up?” Madhuri asked as she looked at her granddaughter.

“She did...” Junet tried to say as she looked at the couple sleeping in the bed. “It’s just that…”

“What? What is it?” Madhuri said still sporting a smile on her lips. She knew well that Junet was surprised by what she was seeing, but for the sake of not laughing at her poor granddaughter, she just continued to smile. “Hurry up; I’m pretty sure your mother will start calling for you soon enough. I will go let your father know.”

“But… I…” Junet turned to look at her grandmother, who was already making her way down the hall. Dadi continued to walk away while leaving her there to do what she was supposed to do.

Junet turned back to the entrance of the room and went inside. She tried to make the least amount of noise as she didn’t want to scare them awake. With every step she took, the weirdness that she had felt, had slowly disappeared. She noticed the hold her brother had on Shaina and realized that this was something neither one of the two would admit that they do. Both her best friend and brother didn’t seem like they were much into each other, but this said otherwise. Junet took out her phone, took a picture of the two and sent it to two people who would undoubtedly enjoy seeing what she was seeing. She smiled to herself as this was something that she had received as a gift from Buddha himself. The teasing that she could torture her brother with was endless. It honestly did feel like a gift from above.

Junet placed the phone back in her pocket and leaned in to shake her brother’s shoulder. She did it lightly at first so she wouldn’t startle him or Shaina. Junet moved back and waited to see if he would wake up. Shaka had stirred in his sleep, but Junet had noticed that he had ended up moving his head closer to the back of Shaina’s head. The simple action made her smile more. This situation was just perfect; this was something that she would end up teasing her brother to no end. Junet stopped all train of thought and tried once more to wake her brother up. The second time was the charm as Junet saw her brother open his eyes and looked a bit disoriented at first.

“Mom told me to come get you both; food is ready,” Junet said once her brother looked at her while still holding on to Shaina.

“We’ll be there, just give us a couple of minutes,” Shaka said as lifted his head and checked to see if Shaina was still asleep. He looked back at his sister who had a mischievous smile adorning her lips.

“Just don’t take too long.” Junet grinned as she winked at her brother and walked out of the room.

Shaka took a minute to himself before he sat up in bed. Shaina was still sound asleep complete oblivious to Junet being there or the exchange of words. He thought about not waking her up and letting her sleeping, but at the same time, he knew that she needed to eat. It took Shaka three tries before successfully waking Shaina up. His wife still looked more asleep than awake, and for a moment he had felt bad having to wake her up. Shaina was now sitting on the edge the bed staring at the wood floor. Shaka made his way to her side and stood in front of her to make sure that she would be all right. Shaina looked up at him and gave him a weak smile as their eyes met.

“How long did I sleep?” Shaina asked as she covered her mouth and tried to stifle a yawn.

“I would say about forty minutes or so,” Shaka said as he broke eye contact to check his watch. “Did you enjoy your nap?”

“Yeah… I think I enjoyed it a little too much.” Shaina gave him a weak smile as she had wished that she could continue sleeping.

“Are you hungry?” Shaka asked as he continued to look at his wife. He already knew the answer, but he still asked, and he would always try to encourage her to eat.

“Not really. No.” Shaina said as she looked up at him and decided to get up once and for all. She needed to make a stop to the bathroom before heading to the dining room. “Could you show me where the bathroom is, I need to...”

Shaka took a step back to give her enough personal space as he saw her get up. Once he heard that she needed the bathroom, a worried look crossed his features. Shaina had noticed and had quickly assured him that it wasn’t what he thought and just needed to freshen up a bit. She had wanted to laugh but felt against it as she didn’t want to ruin his time with his family. She was learning that spending time with his family was very important to him and she didn’t want to come between that. Things for them would change around this time the following year. She was sure that their child would be brought to these family dinners as well. That alone brought her train of thought to a complete stop. For a second the idea itself had hurt her just a little and just like that she dismissed it. That feeling alone had scared her.

“I’ll show you where it is,” Shaka said noticing that Shaina had spaced out for a second or two.

“Thanks.” Shaina smiled at him weakly once more. She needed a distraction, and she hoped that dinner with his family would be enough.

Shaka turned on his heel, and as he took a step forward, he took Shaina’s hand in his and began making his way out. Their fingers interlaced and neither one noticed what the other was doing. It wasn’t until they stood outside the bathroom door when Shaka and Shaina saw that they were holding hands. Neither one said anything as this was something entirely foreign to them. Slowly, as if not wanting to hurt one another, Shaina and Shaka let go of the other. Neither one said a word as Shaina entered the bathroom and closed the door behind her. What had just occurred left a little too much for them to think.

 

**_July 12th 12:45 pm_ **

 

Marin followed the hostess to the booth where Shaina was already waiting for her. She was late, fifteen minutes late, and she would have even more if she hadn’t left work at the time she had. Things had been awful for the past week with the new direction the owner of the shop was taking. Marin was convincing herself more and more that maybe it was time to look for better pastures. The hostess directed her to the booth where Shaina was busying herself with her phone. Marin quickly thanked the hostess and took a seat.

“I am sorry, things just keep getting worse and worse, and I truly thought I wasn’t going to be able to leave,” Marin said as she placed her purse on the far end of the bench. “Did you order already?”

“Yes, I did, just a few minutes ago actually. I ordered what you texted me to order for you.” Shaina said as she placed her cell phone on the table and gave her friend her full attention.  “So what’s been going on at work?”

“Anika has decided to move schedules around and making renovations to the shop. She wants to switch the bakers around, in other words, we will get stuck with the vain of my work existence.” Marin took a breath as she had to calm herself a little. She was grateful that the server had appeared and grabbed her drink order. It had given her enough time to cool off a little.

“You know you can always quit and work from home until you get another job,” Shaina suggested once the server had left.

“Ha… I don’t have the clientele to pull it off just yet. I’ll be living in my car before September comes along.” Marin gave her a sad smile knowing well that her statement was correct.

“You can always come live with me,” Shaina said only to gain a look from her friend. “Hold on, hear me out first. You will live rent free and have access to a big kitchen, and have me as a roommate.”

“What about your husband? You are married, remember.” Marin laughed at the thought. “I don’t think he would be too keen on me living with you two.”

“I'm serious. I would be helping out a friend in her time of need.” Shaina tried not to laugh at the idea as well. “The offer is always open, and if you are interested, I will even throw him in for a night or two. I take Wednesday; it being hump day and all, and you can take any other day.”

Marin and Shaina laughed out loud at the thought of sharing the same house and even the same man. They couldn’t imagine the idea of sleeping with the same man, but the reaction of anyone they knew listening to their conversation was hilarious enough.

“As tempting as being sister wives with you, I have to pass. I’ll toughen it out for the time being, but that I am planning to find a new job, I am.” Marin said once the laughter died down. She needed a laugh, and her best friend had given her exactly what she needed, a distraction from her problem. “Speaking of your husband how was your first visit to the in-law's house?”

“It went well… Junet took pictures of the baby bump while Madhuri and Aishwarya made a big deal about it.” Shaina said before taking a drink from her sparkling water. “I have a feeling that Junet’s father doesn’t like me that much. I mean, I understand it given our situation, but he just doesn’t like me.”

“I see what you mean… sort of.” Marin said as the server placed her plate with food in front of her and then did the same with Shaina. They both thanked her and as soon as she left they continued their conversation. “Speaking of pictures…. Junet sent us a couple of them.”

Marin took her phone out of her purse and searched for them. She passed the phone to her friend so that she could see them as well. Marin hid her smiled in her glass knowing Shaina would end up finding the picture in question. Marin couldn’t help but laugh once she saw Shaina’s expression change.

“What in the world?” Shaina asked as she quickly sent the picture to her phone and gave the phone back to Marin.

“I think you two look excellent. I even would go as far as saying that you two look like an actual couple. Don’t you think?” Marin couldn’t stop smiling as Shaina was giving her a look that seemed between upset and wanting to laugh.

“Junet’s always trying to capture the moments, even my private ones,” Shaina said as she grabbed a piece of pita bread and dipped in hummus before taking a bite out of it. She wasn’t mad or even upset for that matter. There wasn't anything that couldn’t be done about it since Shaina was sure Geist would also make a big deal about it. Shaina took a moment before saying what she was about to admit. “Marin, I am going, to be honest with you, and you have to promise me you won’t repeat it to anyone. Promise me?”

“I promise,” Marin said. She sobered up knowing well that Shaina would be sincere and needed to say whatever it was she didn’t want anyone else to know.

“I fall asleep much easier when I lay like that with him, it’s comforting. I enjoy sleeping in that position with him, among other sleeping positions. It’s nothing sexual or anything like that; I just really like sleeping in the same bed with him.” Shaina leaned back in her seat and looked at her friend. She felt weird saying something like that out loud because it meant she was admitting to it. “Is that weird?”

“Not at all…” Marin looked at her friend with a genuine smile on her lips. “Do you like him?”

“Uhm… No, no, not at all, but I tolerate him.” Shaina wasn’t sure how that had come out because the question had made her think about it. She dismissed it, the question and the topic itself. “So how are things going with you and Aioria?”

“That’s why I asked you to have lunch with me,” Marin said as she looked down at her food trying to gather her thoughts before voicing them out. It was a bit difficult for her because every time she would think about it she would feel upset and sad, all at once. “I talked to him last Friday, we haven’t gone out, and I haven’t seen him.”

“Well sweetie you are busy creating delicious edible creations, and he is busy with his work. I am not surprised that you both haven’t had time to see one another.” Shaina said as she dipped her pita bread in some hummus. “Did he give you a thorough explanation as to why he stood you up that Sunday?”

“He told me he was busy with work and his new place.” Marin took a fork full of her food. She knew she didn’t sound too convincing and more so because she knew when he had told her that it had been a complete lie. “He lied.”

“Are you sure?” Shaina asked as she placed her glass back on the table.

“Aioria is married.” Marin placed her fork on her plate and dabbed her lips with the napkin. She saw that surprised look on her face and decided to continue before Shaina began asking her own set of questions. “He explained why he couldn’t make it to our Sunday brunch, but I knew he was lying. I met his wife the day before we talked, so that is how I knew that he was lying.”

“How…?” Shaina couldn’t even utter the words as she was utterly taken aback by the news.

“I did a cake consultation for a walking-in; it was a kid’s birthday cake. She was very nice, very well put together, very pretty. Did I mention that the cake was for her son?” Marin sounded like she was speaking a little too fast as if trying to rush through the entire story. Shaina remained quiet and waited for her friend to compose herself. “She said that her brother-in-law had recommended the shop and when I looked at the order form Aioros’s name was on it. Her last name as well, so…”

“What are you planning to do?” Shaina asked not before taking a sip of her sparkling water. The news was a bit shocking, but it was Aioria after all.

“When we talked over the phone, I was pretty much listening to what he was saying, but all I wanted to do was yell at him. Instead, I just listened and said a couple of things to him and that was it.” Marin took her water glass and took a long drink as she once again tried to compose herself. “I will confront him. I have to do it because I am not going to be his mistress. I can’t be his mistress Shaina. I just can’t.”

“It’s okay sweetie.” Shaina placed her hand on top of Marin’s and gave it a light squeeze.

Marin nodded as she knew very well that things would be all right in the end. She knew that Shaina would listen to everything she would have to say and that she would keep that bit of information to herself. Their friendship had always been like that since college, and she did not doubt that it would continue to be that way. They both sat there in the booth talking for the next hour until it was time for them to go back to their work lives. Marin just had to figure out how and when to cut the man she loved out of her life, again.

 

**_July 12th 7 pm_ **

 

Shaina set her house keys on the coffee table and placed her purse on one of the accent chairs of the living room. She looked around the living room before taking out her phone from her bag. She had noticed that the lights to the hallway were on, as well as the kitchen and backyard lights were on. Shaina went straight to the kitchen to grab something to drink. She had a long day at work, plus her lunch with Marin had only added to her stress. It had been the news her friend had shared more than her food itself. She needed a drink after her long day, but sadly those days were long gone. She was pregnant, and after that, she would most likely be breastfeeding. She couldn’t see the day when she would ever taste a drop of wine.  Then the thought of breastfeeding lingered in her mind. Shaina cupped her sensitive breast and looked down at them. She let go of them right away as she had felt uncomfortable all day. Shaina grabbed the water bottle that was on the counter and thought of the idea of breastfeeding or not. In the end, it would be her decision whether she would do it or not, but she hadn’t done her research on it or even considered it until that very moment. Shaina assumed she would, but then there was her job or if she would end up having a career after she gave birth.

Shaina was deep in her thoughts that she hadn’t noticed that her husband was standing at the kitchen entrance.

“Did you just get home?” Shaka asked as he saw Shaina choke on her water.

“Yeah…” Shaina said after she stopped coughing and wiped her mouth with a paper towel.

“Long day?” Shaka asked trying to make regular conversation.

“Yes, it was. It was so long that I could use a glass of wine right about now.” Shaina said as she placed the bottle of water back on the counter. She rolled her eyes and shook her head as she had gained a look from Shaka that told her her comment didn't amuse him. “Did you have dinner already?”

“No, I was waiting for you.” Shaka had been expecting for Shaina to be home when he arrived from work. So he had gone out to the backyard and meditated until she had arrived. “Are you hungry?”

“Yes, but I am also very, very tired,” Shaina said as she gave him a sad smile. She was tired; she wanted to lie in bed and just fall asleep. “I want to go change into something comfortable, but I’m afraid that I will end up just crawling in bed.”

“Then I suggest we get something to eat. Shall we?” It was evident that his wife was tired. He could see it in her eyes, but she had to eat.

“Okay…” Shaina gave in to having dinner even if she was tired and sleepy. Shaina turned and took out several of the restaurant menus that were in one of the kitchen drawers. She placed them on the kitchen island and spread them all out. “All right… What do you feel like eating?”

Shaka looked at all of the displayed menus on the kitchen island. It had just dawned on him that maybe he should have prepared something for them while he waited for her to get home. Then came the fact that he hadn’t texted her that day, or the previous day for that matter. They barely communicated through texting and even less when they were together. It was something that needed to change between them, but he just couldn’t see how. Shaka was brought out of his thoughts by the sound of the doorbell going off.  

“Are you expecting anyone?” Shaina asked him as she looked up to meet his eyes.

“No, are you?” Shaka replied and asked the same only to receive the same answer he had given. “I’ll go get it while you look at what to get for dinner.”

Shaina nodded in response as she stayed behind in the kitchen with the all the takeout menus. Shaka headed to the front door and checked to see who it was before answering the door. The person on the other side knocked once more before Shaka had made it to the door. To Shaka’s surprise the one knocking was Mu; someone that he hadn’t expected to see. He had with him a pizza box and Kiki standing by his side. The little boy said a polite hello as he walked past Shaka and headed inside the house. Mu and Shaka just looked at the little boy who disappeared towards the living room. Both men looked at one another and began to head towards the living room once Shaka had locked the door. Shaina greeted Mu at the living room with Kiki by her side. The little boy had a smile on his face and was eagerly trying to get Shaina’s attention. He had started asking Shaina all sorts of questions about the baby and would suddenly change the topic of conversation. He wanted her to know about the show he watched on TV and about his toys and friends. Shaka and Mu noticed how Shaina smile began to fade; it indeed was becoming a little too much for her.  

“Kiki, why don’t you give Shaina a break, okay?” Mu looked at his little boy giving him a look as for him to understand.

“Okay, dad,” Kiki said as he took a seat on the sofa and looked up at all the adults in the room. “Are we going to eat soon?”

“Kiki…” Mu warned still trying to give his son a stern look, but apparently, it wasn’t working.

“So… What brings you to our neck of the woods tonight?” Shaina asked Mu after looking at Kiki who was mouthing the words ‘I’m hungry’ to his father. She looked at Mu as she was trying not to laugh at the face Kiki was making. “We were just going to order dinner ourselves.”

“Well, don’t order anything, that’s what the pizza is for.” Mu looked at Shaina and then at Shaka as they were both giving him a puzzled look. “Let me start by saying that I apologize for coming unannounced, especially at this time of night. I came here to ask you both something, and the pizza is my sort of way to sweeten the deal… sort of.”

“Why don’t we just head to the dining room so Kiki could eat?” Shaina said as she couldn’t stop glancing at the boy who was still mouthing that he was hungry. “I’ll go get us some napkins, plates and something for us to drink.”

It didn’t take long for Shaina to get the things she needed and even Shaka had helped her with getting the drinks. They all sat around the dining table and ate the pizza that Mu had brought over. They kept the conversation on light terms since Kiki kept asking questions and would also tell them about things that he had seen or done. It wasn’t until Kiki asked if he could watch TV and went to the entertainment room when the adults started to discuss other things. Shaka and Mu began talking about medical cases that Shaina didn't understand most of what they were saying.

“Once again, I apologize for coming unannounced tonight. I was planning on telling Shaka today if it was okay for me to come over, but it seemed that the day just got away from me.” Mu said giving both an apologetic look.

“It’s no problem, and you know it,” Shaka said as he reached over to get his glass filled with lemonade.

“I have to agree; especially when you saved us from going over many restaurants menus,” Shaina said as she looked at the empty pizza box at the far side of the table.

“I would like to ask you both if you would be willing to let Kiki stay with you over the weekend. I would leave him here early Saturday morning, and I would pick him up late Sunday afternoon, early evening the latest.” Mu asked as he looked at the couple sitting across from him.

“Uhm…” Shaina said as she didn’t know what to answer. She looked at Shaka and wondered if he would be okay with the idea of having Kiki over.

“Mu…” Shaka didn’t know what to answer as he had never taken care of anyone’s kid.

“I’m thinking of taking Yulij out of town for the weekend. You know…” Mu felt embarrassed having to ask his best friend and his wife to take care of his kid for the weekend.

“Are you getting serious with this woman that I’m guessing Shaka hasn’t even met?” Shaina asked before taking a sip of her sparkling water. She hid her smile with her glass as she figured Mu wasn’t ready to be asked if things were getting serious between him and his girlfriend.

“I think so,” Mu admitted with a sheepish smile as he thought about his girlfriend. “I just thought it would be nice if we went out of the city and just have time to ourselves. I had asked my parents, but it seemed that they had plans already and Kiki does like you a lot. So I just thought that maybe you would help me out.”

“Well…” Shaina sounded unsure as she didn't know what to say. She turned once again to look at Shaka only to meet the same uncertain look on his face. Shaina couldn’t guess if her so-called husband had plans or not, and it wasn’t like they spoke to one another as much, or knew him well enough to know what he was thinking. “I don't have any plans for this weekend, but I can’t speak for you.”

Shaina was never the type to say no when it came to helping a friend in need, but taking care of a kid was something she hadn’t done in a long time. Violate sometimes would call her to help out with Carlo, but Violate was her family and Mu fell on the “His Friend” category, not hers. Shaka, on the other hand, wasn’t too keen on taking care of someone’s kid, even if in this case it was his best friend’s kid. The only kid he had looked after before was his sister, and that had been a very, very long time ago. He didn’t have plans that weekend, but he knew that the last thing he would want was to spend it taking care of his friend’s son. Shaka knew that thinking this didn't make him a great friend and that maybe someday in the not so distant future he would end up asking Mu for help, he just wasn’t too sure that this was such a great idea.

“I thought you had mentioned you were going to look for some things your grandmother had asked for,” Shaka said thinking that maybe this would be the perfect excuse to get out of taking care of Kiki.

The couple soon started talking among themselves complete ignoring the fact that Mu was sitting across from them. It didn’t take much for Mu to realize that the couple was uncomfortable with taking care of his kid. He couldn’t blame them really, and he knew that they were trying to be as polite enough as they could to give him an answer. As Mu saw the couple, he wondered if he was witnessing Shaka and Shaina were acting like a married couple. They looked like any other married couple and for a moment, putting the main subject at hand to the side; Mu could see that the marriage his friend was in could work. It was a fleeting thought, but it had made him wonder. Putting all thought aside, he paid attention to what the couple was discussing and felt embarrassed for having to ask them something that he knew was most likely crossing the line.

“Guys!” Mu said gaining the attention of the couple that was sitting across from him. “Look, I’m sorry that I even asked you for this favor in the first place. I could try to find someone else that could take care of Kiki.”

“All right,” Shaka said finding a sense a relief that his friend was reconsidering.

“No, Mu, don’t be silly….” Shaina tried to say at the same time Shaka had answered. They both looked at one another as if questioning what the other had said. Shaina turned to look at Mu, and before Shaka could say anything, she took the lead. “We’ll be happy to take care of Kiki for the weekend.”

Mu and Shaka just looked at Shaina who had taken charge and had decided to help out. Shaina just gave her best reassuring smile before taking her glass of sparkling water. Mu took a moment or two before going over the details with them. There wasn’t a long list of things they needed to know, but still, he needed to make sure that they knew everything.

 

**_July 14th Mani’s Birthday_ **

 

Geist walked into the building where Shaina worked as she and her sister had decided to use their lunch break to video chat with their brother. It wasn’t often that Geist would go to Shaina’s place of work, and she had even suggested that they do it in her office. Shaina had told her that she would end up having lunch at her desk to make sure that she would at least call it a day’s work at a decent time. Geist got to the floor where Shaina worked and noticed that there wasn’t a lot of people around. She guessed that the majority was out to lunch except a few. Geist walked down the small corridor wearing her visitor’s badge hanging on the lanyard around her neck. She made it to the door to her sister’s office and noticed that Shaina was busy looking at her computer with several manila folders opened on top of her desk. Shaina was typing on her keyboard complete oblivious that Geist was even there. Geist took out her phone and quickly snapped a picture with her cellphone before knocking on the door frame.

Shaina looked up from her computer and greeted her sister with a small smile on her face. She had only left her desk for a couple of times, and that was just to go to the bathroom. Even one of her co-workers had stopped by her office and asked her if she wanted anything brought back for lunch. Shaina had thanked him and continued to work until Geist would come in or her food would arrive; whichever came first.  She made sure to save what she was working on and closed the files that were on her desk. She cleared it as best as possible and placed the folders she was working on, in the first file drawer.

“You made it,” Shaina said as she looked at her sister once more.

“I didn’t think you would still be working. I thought that maybe you would be taking a break while you waited.” Geist said as she entered the office and took a seat in the empty chair.

“No, I have to make sure I leave everything fine before we leave next week,” Shaina said as she opened the window on her computer for them to video chat with their brother.

“Have you eaten anything?” Geist said as she took out her phone and sent the picture that she had just taken. She had already done it through Snapchat, but she was sure that the person she was sending it to didn’t have such an app.

“Algol offered to bring me back something to eat, but to be completely honest with you; I am not hungry at all,” Shaina said as she waived her over so they could start with the video chat.

“Promise me that you will eat,” Geist asked as she stood up and moved the chair she was sitting on close to where her sister was.

“I will… I will…” Shaina assured her sister as she clicked on the contact and both waited for it to connect.

The twins sat side by side as they both talked to their brother and wished him a happy birthday. It was already late in Italy, but not enough that they would be keeping him up. The girls got to see Mii, Manigoldo’s wife, and they also got to see their niece, Nadia. The twins hadn’t seen their niece in some time, but she was as beautiful as they remembered. She had Mani’s colored eyes and same color of hair, but she looked a lot like their sister-in-law. The conversation with their brother and his family didn’t last more than fifteen minutes, but they had been s. Mii had told the girls that there was a lot that she needed to say to them, but she was willing to wait until they would get there the following week. They soon hung up, and Geist moved the chair she was sitting on, back to where it had been before Geist took her seat once again and waited for Shaina to finish drinking from the cup that had been on her desk.

“Are you drinking coffee?” Geist asked as she eyed the cup on the desk.

“Ha… I wish. It’s just water.” Shaina said as she shook her head. She missed coffee, and she couldn’t remember when was the last time she had tasted the lovely, dark liquid.

“Okay, I’ve been trying to ask you something since the moment that I got it, but I decided to give you some time and then I got busy. So I think that this would be a perfect time.” Geist had just finished saying the last word when someone entered her sister’s office.

“Shaina I brought you Caprese salad with prosciutto…” Algol said as he placed the to-go container on his co-worker’s desk. He noticed that Shaina had someone in her office and he quickly apologized. “I didn’t know your sister was stopping by today. How are you, Geist?”

“I’m doing well, just thought I would visit my sister.” Geist smiled at the man that stood in front of her. She hadn’t seen Algol for some time, but he was still as attractive as she had last seen him.

“Well, I’ll leave you to it. Shaina, I’ll stop by later with the vendor file we were working on earlier.” Algol said as he exited the office and went on his way to his office.

“Is it just me or has he gotten better looking,” Geist said as she turned to look at her sister.

“It’s just you,” Shaina said as she opened the to-go container and began eating a little of her salad. “So… what exactly is it that you wanted to talk to me about?”

“Oh… I wanted to ask you about the picture Junet posted on Snapchat.” Geist said as she took a peek at her sister’s salad. It looked good, and it was making hungry. “Are you two getting close?”

“Really? That is what you were planning to ask me? I thought it was something important.” Shaina said as she took a fork full of salad in her mouth. She had noticed her sister eyeing her salad and handed her fork so that Geist would have some as well.

“I just thought that maybe you two were already getting closer. You two look close.” Geist said as she took the fork from her sister and ate some of her sister’s salad. “I liked how you two looked together. Very comfortable, cozy, very into one another. Like a real couple truly is.”

“Seriously… We were just taking a nap together. Why are you making a mountain out of a molehill?” Shaina said as she took her fork back and ate some of her salad. It was official, she was going to be sharing her lunch, and her sister was going to bug her to no end.

“I was just asking.” Geist tried not to smile, but she just couldn’t help herself. She grabbed the fork that her sister had left in the to-go box and ate some salad again. “Besides, I think it’s a good idea to get ready for what I might be into when we are all in Italy.”

“Shut up…” Shaina shook her head as she took her cup from her desk.

Shaina and Geist continue with random conversation and sharing the salad that Algol had brought Shaina for lunch. Geist had also continued to tease her sister about the picture and trying to guess personal things that Shaina and her husband would do. She enjoyed the reaction on her sister’s face and the things that she would say to her. It was funny, and she knew that in the end Shaina would eventually get upset, but would get over it just as fast.

 

**_July 15th 6 pm_ **

 

Marin walked down the sidewalk; she still had a full block to go to get to her apartment. In each hand, she carried a bag filled with groceries and the filled with baking supplies she needed. Someone from her building had asked her to make them a birthday cake for the weekend and hadn’t realized that she was running low on all the ingredients. She had accepted the extra job in hopes that maybe she would end up getting some new customers. Marin was desperate more than ever to get a new job. Things in the shop weren’t going too well, and she needed out. Asterion kept telling her that maybe they should go into business together, but sadly the bank had declined their loan. He, as well as she, were now on the quest to finding work outside the shop.

Marin continued to walk down the block and kept thinking of the slump she had been in lately. Her dating life had been a big lie, and her job was becoming even more problematic. For a moment or two, she had considered Shaina’s offering into moving in with her. But the thought of sharing a home with her newlywed best friend and her husband didn’t sound like a good idea, at all. Then there were the thoughts about her ex-plaguing her mind. The image of his little boy’s face had become a recurring image in her head every time she would think of Aioria. She needed to get away and distance herself from all that was going on in her life, but sadly she just couldn’t at that moment.

Marin entered the lobby of her apartment building and had been deep in thought that she never noticed the man that was sitting in one of the many benches. She didn’t see Aioria had stood up or that he was now following her. It wasn’t until she reached the elevator and someone calling her name, which Marin finally noticed him.

“What are you doing here?” Marin asked not giving him a chance to greet her.

“You haven’t been answering my calls, my text messages and not even the messages I left for you in the shop. I’ve been worried for the past week. I had even thought about stopping by your work and check to see if you were there, but I came here first.” Aioria was concerned that she hadn’t called him or texted him back. He tried to take a step closer, but he noticed that she took a step back. “Marin, what’s going on?”

“I know…” Marin said after moving away from the elevator doors. She didn’t want to make a scene, but she also didn’t want to take him up to her apartment to talk.

“Uhm…” Aioria didn’t have a clue what Marin was saying. “Why don’t we go upstairs and talk about whatever it is you need to say? Come on.”

“I know… I know you have a wife and you have a son.” Marin tried not to shout, but she really couldn’t help herself. It had been a week since she had found out and a week of trying hard not to confront him, but she just couldn’t hold it in anymore. “How could you make me the other woman? How could you cheat on your marriage and made me a part of it?”

“Marin, I…” Aioria didn’t know what to say, and all he could try to do was get close to her. Once again he saw how she moved a step away from him. “Just let me…”

“Don’t, just don’t. I just can’t believe you did this to me, to your wife. Out of all the women in this city, you just had to make me the other woman.” Marin pressed the elevator button and pretended to look up to see in which floor the elevator was on, but she was just trying to hold her tears and anger. The doors opened, and Marin went in and pressed the button to her floor. She stopped him from stepping into the elevator and pressed the button for the doors to close. “You broke my heart, again.”

As soon as the doors closed, Marin started crying. She had seen the look on his face when she had told him that he broke her heart. He seemed hurt at hearing her words, but she was hurting even more. Once inside her apartment, Marin tried to control her emotions. She put everything away and took a moment to clean herself up before beginning. She pulled her hair up into a ponytail and changed into more casual clothes. As Marin looked herself in the mirror and wiped away the tear that had rolled down her cheek her thoughts went back to him. She questioned herself whether she should have let him explain himself or not. She wondered if it had made any difference. Marin shook her head in anger and cursed herself for being so weak minded. She cried once more and promised herself that it would be the last time she would ever shed tears for that man again. Marin splashed water on her face once she had stopped crying and began to reconsider the idea of taking a few days off for some much needed emotional healing.

  
  



	14. Chapter 14

_“You say you don't know_

_You tell me don't lie_

_You work_ at _a smile, and you go for a ride_

_You had a bad day_

_The camera don't lie_

_You're coming back down and you really don't mind”_

\- Daniel Powter (Bad Day)

 

* * *

 

_**Chapter 14** _

 

* * *

 

_**July 15th 7 pm** _

 

Pavlin opened her legal notepad that pertained to the young couple that she had sat across from her. She looked for the page that she had left off in the previous session and glanced at the few notes that she had made that would pertain to the appointment that they had that day. The couple that she sat across from her didn’t seem to be making too much progress of communicating with each other. There was much work to do, and she just hoped that by the time the baby would make its appearance in this world that the couple would have made enough progress.

 

“When did you two meet and how long ago was it?” Pavlin looked at the couple as she asked them.

 

Shaina and Shaka remained quiet as neither one of them wanted to go first. Shaina glanced at Shaka to see if he would be the one to answer the question, but it seemed that he was uncomfortable just as she was. After sitting in silence for a minute or two, Shaina had decided to be the one to answer the question but hadn’t counted on Shaka doing the same.

 

“We met about eight years ago, in the apartment my sister was sharing with Shaina back in college,” Shaka answered while breaking the awkward silence and gaining a side glance from Shaina.

 

“What was your first impression of Shaina when you first met her?” Pavlin asked after she wrote down some notes on her legal pad. She observed the body language of the two as she had asked the question.

 

“Spoiled” Shaka said as he had taken his time in answering the question. He had a knack for remembering things, and that was the first thing that he had thought about her. He had heard from Junet all about her new college friends and how she had befriended the Rinaldi twins. Even if his father had worked for so long in the Graad Foundation and the Rinaldi surname had been mentioned in his home growing up. He had never personally met the family until he became an adult.

 

“What was your first impression when you met Shaka all those years ago, Shaina?” Pavlin asked as she wrote down a note on her legal pad.

 

“Arrogant” Shaina said without thinking twice about the first time they had met each other. The moment she had seen him walk into the apartment living room, it was the first thing she had thought of him.

 

“Has your mind changed about one another since your first meeting?” Pavlin looked at the couple waiting to see who would be the first one to answer her question.

 

“No!” Shaina and Shaka both answered at the same time, and neither one had hesitated in doing so.

 

“Was there any sort of attraction towards each other from then until that trip to Las Vegas?” The woman asked as she looked at the couple sitting in front of her.

 

“No!” The two answered without even a second thought.

 

“Has that changed between you both since that weekend in Vegas?” She had noticed how the couple looked uncomfortable towards the question. Pavlin jotted down a quick note and waited for the response.

 

Shaka and Shaina remained silent as neither one wanted to answer that question. Shaina busied herself by sitting a little more comfortable on the sofa, crossing her legs and began to fiddle with her wedding ring. Shaka on the other hand just waited for the therapist to continue with the next question. Pavlin saw their hesitation in answering her question. She was sure that by now things had changed between them, even if it was just a bit, there was a change.  She wrote a quick note on her legal pad as she continued to wait for an answer.

 

“Have you been intimate since Las Vegas, before you moved in together that is?” Pavlin asked as she looked at the couple in front of her with a somber expression on her face. She decided to proceed with the next question as she now knew for sure that things had changed between the two.

 

“Yes,” Shaka and Shaina both answered without any hesitation.

 

“Have you been intimate since you moved in together?” Pavlin waited to see if they would once again answer at the same time or one of them would.

 

“Yes, there have been a couple of times that we’ve had sex,” Shaina answered not waiting for Shaka to respond.

 

“The last time both of you were intimate, who was the one that initiated?” Pavlin jotted down a couple of things in her legal pad as she waited for the answer to her question.

 

“Him,” Shaina said thinking that she would be the first to answer.

 

“Me” Shaka had said at the same time that Shaina did.

 

“What lead you to initiate sex?” Pavlin doubted that the man sitting in front of her would go into detail.

 

“I was apologizing to my wife at the time.” Shaka had taken a moment before saying anything.

 

“How long ago did this take place?” Pavlin wrote on her notepad as she asked her question. She underlined the word sexual attraction, knowing full well that it was right and neither one would fully admit to it. She was quickly learning that neither Shaka nor Shaina wanted the other one to know how they felt for one another.

 

“It was over two weeks ago. We had gotten into an argument a few days earlier.” Shaka explained as he saw the woman once more writing on her notepad. He had glanced at Shaina when he had given his answer and noticed that she had been looking at him at the time.

 

“Why did it take either one of you a few days to apologize?”

 

“There were insults thrown back and forth, and I wasn’t going to be the one to apologize for something that I didn’t start.” Shaina finally spoke up, her tone sounding a little irritated by the long interrogation. “We both went to our separate corners and the next day I left for a business trip.”

 

“What has been your sleeping situation since you’ve moved in?” Pavlin decided to change a bit the direction in her questions as she heard the tone Shaina was using. The last thing she wanted was to upset the young pregnant woman.

 

“We sleep in the same bed as most married couples do.” This time Shaka was the one that had answered the marriage counselor’s question.  Like his wife, Shaka was also getting a little tired of playing twenty questions, but unlike Shaina, he was better at keeping his tone in check. “Except for the times that Shaina has left on business and the night of the argument.”

 

Pavlin was a bit surprised that the couple shared a bed as she had assumed that the couple was sleeping in separate rooms.  She made a couple of notes on her notepad and continued with the session. They spoke a little more about the fight, but not in full detail. The last thing she wanted was to bring up something that could be left in the past. She needed this couple to move forward and help them grow. For the first time that night, Pavlin decided to give out homework to the newlyweds.

 

* * *

 

 

_**July 15, 8 pm** _

 

Junet thanked Hyoga as he held the car door open as she exited the car. She couldn’t help but find it a little surprising that the man she was out with that night had brought her to a place like the one she was standing outside. She was used to the dinner and movie type of first date, but she had never been on a date where the guy had decided to take her to an adult fun center.  It made perfect sense why he had suggested for her to dress casual the day he had set the date with her. Junet smiled as she now stood inside the building as they waited in line to purchase a card so that they could play the games.

 

It was Friday night, and the place was busy, noisy, and everyone around seemed to be having a good time. Hyoga took her hand in his and led her to the restaurant part of the fun center. They sat in one of the booths and ordered drinks and an appetizer for the time being. Junet enjoyed the fact that her date had chosen something entirely out of the norm for their first date. It didn’t make her feel awkward like most first dates usually made her feel.

 

“I hope this isn’t too much for a first date?” Hyoga said once the waitress had brought them their drink.

 

“Oh, no, not at all. I like that is different from the usual ‘dinner and a movie’ first date, besides it takes some of the awkwardness out of it.” Junet said before taking a sip of her colorful drink.

 

“So let’s continue taking the awkwardness out of the first date, shall we,” Hyoga said as he gained a nod from the woman sitting in front of him. “What is it that you do for a living, Junet?”

 

“I’m a nurse, but I manage a group practitioner's office. You know, all that administrative stuff that goes behind the curtain of all doctor’s offices.” June said as she played with the napkin underneath her drink. She was nervous, even with the place he had chosen and with all the people having a good time around them, she still felt a little nervous. “How about you?”

 

“I’m a computer programmer for a gaming company,” Hyoga said as he took a swig out of his beer bottle. “So what made you manage a doctor’s office instead of continuing to be a nurse?”

 

“It kind of just fell on my lap. I had just come back from living abroad, and at the time my cousin’s wife was looking for a temp to fill her position before going on maternity leave. So, it just happened.” Junet took her glass and took a drink from her colorful drink. She smiled at the man sitting across from her and even though she had just met him, she could see herself dating him for some time.

 

“Where abroad did you live?” Hyoga asked as the server approached their table with the appetizer they had ordered.

 

“I lived in Paris for a year and a half or so. I worked for the Graad Foundation; well, in one of the clinics my father was running.” Junet took a couple of onion rings from the plate and set them on her small one the server had given her.

 

“Your father runs one of the Graad clinics?” Hyoga asked intrigued by what he had just heard. “What’s your father’s name, if I may ask?”

 

“His name is Asmita Mahajan, and he used to run the one in Paris several years ago,” Junet said as she looked at him not knowing exactly why he wanted to know.

 

“I think I know your father. Well, I‘ve never actually met him, but I know of him.” Hyoga said as he looked at the woman that was looking at him curiously. “My father worked with your father back in Paris.”

 

“Oh my gosh!” Junet was surprised how they were easily connected, and neither one of them knew. “Does your family still live in Paris?”

 

“My parents are working in Norway, at the Graad clinic there,” Hyoga said before signaling the server for another beer for him and another drink for Junet. “Are you an only child?”

 

“Sadly no, I have an older brother. How about you, do you have any siblings?” Junet asked before taking a bite of a chicken tender she had gotten from the appetizer sampler.

 

“Two brothers actually; I’m the youngest of the three,” Hyoga said as he gained a smile from his date. He was truly enjoying their date, and it was obvious that the awkwardness was long gone. The server came back with their drinks and placed them on the table. “How about we continue getting to know each other by playing some of the games?”

 

“Sure, let’s go,” Junet said with a smile on her lips. She no longer felt nervous at all and was thinking that this could be one of the best first dates that she ever had.

 

Hyoga paid their food and drinks on the table kiosk before heading to the game area. They both grabbed their drinks and went to the first game to play. At the end of the night Hyoga and Junet had played almost every single game, some they had even played twice, some even three or four. Junet had won at the skeeball machine, and Hyoga had bet her at connect four.  Once they had finished playing games, they had gone back to the dining area and ordered dinner. At the end of their date, Hyoga had walked her all the way to her apartment door and had kissed her good night. Junet hoped that there would be a second date; as it had been a perfect first date. 

 

* * *

 

 

_**July 16th 1:30 pm** _

 

Kiki ran up to the large glass of the fish tank at the aquarium and looked at all the fish swimming around. Shaina and Shaka finally caught up to the eight-year-old boy who hadn’t stopped running around since they had arrived. Shaina had forgotten how hard it was to take care of a kid by herself and Shaka seemed entirely out of his element. There had been moments when the two had split up and looked around for Kiki on every exhibition they would go. The couple stood there looking at the little boy who had just turned to look at them and waved at them. Kiki kept calling them over so they could see all the different fishes that were in that tank. The couple approached Kiki with caution since every time they would get close the little boy would end up staying with them for a couple of seconds and then would run somewhere else. Shaina and Shaka soon stood in front of the large tank and looked at every single fish Kiki would point to.

 

Shaina turned around and checked to see if there was an empty bench so that she would take a break. She knew that she had taken it upon herself to take care of Kiki, but this wasn’t what she had expected. It had been a long time since she had babysat and the last time she had it hadn’t seemed this hard. Shaina left Shaka and Kiki where they were and went to sit on the bench. She fixed her romper as it kept feeling a little too snug around her midsection. She regretted her choice in clothing the moment they got into the car, and now she couldn’t wait to get home and take it off. That would be the first thing she would do as soon as she would get back, well something like that. Shaka soon joined his wife on the bench as he too needed a break. He had never been around kids for long periods of time, let alone taken care of one. The situation was making him question whether he was capable of taking care of his child.

 

“Twenty more minutes, just twenty more minutes and we leave,” Shaina said as she broke the silence between them and turned to look at him. She noticed that he was as overwhelmed and tired as much as she felt. “Do you want to head back home or do we go eat somewhere?”

 

“Are you hungry?” Shaka asked as the took his sight off of the little boy who was busy looking at all the fish and turned to look at his wife.

 

“No, not really, but I’m sure that Kiki will be hungry soon. He’s been running around since we got here and I’m pretty sure that he’s build up an appetite.” Shaina fixed the waist on her romper as the material was bothering her. From her sore breast to the now visible pregnancy belly, it was going to be a very uncomfortable day for her.

 

“Are you feeling okay?” Shaka asked as he saw how Shaina kept on tugging on the material at her waistline.

 

“Yeah, I’m just uncomfortable today, plus it seems like this will be the last time I wear this romper. It’s a little too snug around my waist now, and it’s only making me feel more uncomfortable than I already feel.” Shaina smoothed down the material and tried to ignore how she was feeling, but it wasn’t helping. “Are you hungry?”

 

“I can wait,” Shaka said as he continued to look at his wife’s belly and then looked at her. He had to admit it, but the woman was sitting next to him looked beautiful in her pregnant state. There was a part of him that was tempted to reach over and touch her belly, but he knew that he couldn’t.

 

“Just say it, my belly is getting big, and it’s unattractive to look at.” Shaina had noticed that Shaka had been looking at her belly and she knew she didn’t look as she used to. She felt big, unattractive and completely gross. Yes, that was how she was feeling lately, gross.  The worst part of it all is that she had been feeling horny for over a week. She had tried many times to use her vibrator, but it had been hard since she was hardly home because she was working. When she was home, Shaka was there as well. “It’s only going to get worse, and I don’t want to think how I will end up looking afterward.”

 

Shaka didn’t know what he could say to make Shaina think otherwise. True, her belly was getting big, but in no way did it make her look unattractive. She looked beautiful, and there had been times that he couldn’t keep his eyes off of her. He had found himself wanting her more and more, and every time he held her close to him in bed, it made him want her even more. Shaka had tried to keep his lower half in check, but he was finding it a bit difficult.

 

“I’m not looking forward to the waddling part of the pregnancy.” Once the words had left Shaina’s mouth a woman, who was obviously in her third trimester passed by in front of them. Once the woman was out of earshot, Shaina continued with what she was saying. “You see, the poor woman looks tired and seems like she would rather be sitting than walking around.”

 

“Doctors recommend walking to help induce labor,” Shaka said as they both continued to look at the woman who had passed in front of them. She was busy with a small boy and a little girl. The couple looked at the interaction between the woman and her children and soon turned away as they felt like they had been staring for too long.

 

“I’ve been avoiding reading that far into any of the pregnancy books I have.” Shaina had taken it upon herself to read only a week ahead of her gestational stage. She didn’t want to read ahead or think ahead when it came to the pregnancy. The only time she had done, it was when she had officially found out that she was pregnant. The moment she finished watching the birth video, she stopped herself from looking any further into it. She was taking it little by little, with a glance at the week ahead, and that was all. “I’m guessing you know everything  about the pregnancy and what will happen when the time comes?”

 

“Yes, I have, but I’m sure that’s not surprising.” Shaka smiled at his wife only to gain a smile from her.

 

“I wouldn’t expect anything less.” Shaina was enjoying their version of the small conversation.  They didn’t have many of these types of moments, but she was enjoying them more and more. The thought that maybe she felt something more than toleration had crossed her mind, but she had quickly dismissed it when she also reminded herself that they were supposed to be keeping an eye on Kiki. “Where’s Kiki?”

 

Shaka turned to look at where he had last seen the little boy and to his surprised Kiki was no longer there. They both stood up at the same time and began to look at their surroundings to see if they could spot Kiki. They looked around the entire underwater exhibition but had no luck in finding him. Shaka and Shaina split up with the plan to divide and conquer, and whoever saw him first, would text the other. The couple didn’t have to look for long as Kiki had just wandered into the next underwater mammal exhibition. It had been a hard lesson that they both had to learn, but it wasn’t the only one that they would learn that day or that weekend for that matter.

 

* * *

 

_**July 17th 1 am** _

 

Shaina poured herself a glass of milk as she sat on one of the kitchen stools. It had been a long Saturday, and now it was becoming a long night. Kiki had been a hand full throughout the day, and once her head had hit the pillow, she had let herself finally relax. It had been too much for her, and it had been too much for Shaka, but she gave him credit for keeping it together. She had seen that he had gotten upset a couple of times, but had kept himself in check, unlike her. She had gone to the bathroom on several occasions just to throw a fit in the privacy of the stall, but at other times she had been very vocal. Shaina took a sip from her glass and sat there thinking more about what had happened and the craziness the little boy had put them through. 

 

Shaina took another drink from her glass before setting it back on the countertop. Taking care of Kiki had shed new light on how she felt about children. The verdict was in, and she wasn’t ready to become a mother, she wasn't prepared to take care of someone. She was even questioning herself whether she wanted kids or not. Shaina took her glass and drank a little more. She didn’t realize that she had chugged the milk like if it was a hard drink. It was wishful thinking. She grabbed the carton of milk and poured herself another glass. She finished drinking what she had served herself and went on to place the glass in the dishwasher. She put the milk back in the fridge and grabbed a bottled water before closing it.

 

Once upstairs, Shaina had made her way to the guest room and checked to see if Kiki was still asleep. To her luck, he continued sleeping, and she was grateful. She hoped that he would continue to sleep in that bed for the remainder of the night. Sadly for her, she now felt like she could be up all night, tired and not be able to sleep a wink. Shaina entered the master bedroom as quietly as she could in order not to wake up the man that was sleeping in the bed. She didn’t even try to get back in bed as she would just be tossing and turning. Shaina walked across the room and headed straight to the balcony doors. As she stepped outside and slightly close the door behind her Shaina took a deep breath and enjoyed the light breeze as the sound of the waves got her a little more relaxed. She took a sip of her bottled water and continued to enjoy the night view. It didn’t take long before Shaina heard the door to the balcony open and she dreaded, just for a moment, that Kiki had woken up and found her. As she slightly turned to look at who had joined her on the balcony, she felt a sense of relief wash over her. Shaka had been the one to join her out on the balcony, and she had never felt more grateful.

 

“What are you doing up?” Shaina asked as she gave him her full attention, looking away from the beautiful night view.

 

“I should be asking you the same thing,” Shaka said as he stood next to her and they both turned to look at the beach.

 

“Kiki woke me up. I took him back to the guest room and left once I was sure he had fallen back asleep.” Shaina said as before taking another sip from her bottle. She began to feel tired but was also afraid that as soon as she would sleep, she would find herself being woken up by Kiki. “So, what are you doing up?”

 

“I thought I heard a noise,” Shaka said as he looked at his wife looking at him. He lied, that was no surprise, but he couldn’t tell her that the fact that he hadn’t felt her next to him had woken him up. He had sat up in bed and felt worried that something was wrong with Shaina, but then he had seen the balcony door open, and he felt a sense of relief.

 

“I didn’t mean to wake you.” Shaina covered her mouth as she tried to stifle a yawn. She was already tired, and now she seemed to be getting sleepy, but her mind still told her that it might not be such a good idea.

 

“We should both get back to bed. You need to get your rest, and so do I, plus we still have another day of taking care of Kiki.” Shaka got closer to Shaina and placed his arm around her waist. He brought her closer to him, and she naturally leaned her head on his naked chest. Shaka felt how Shaina wrapped her arms around him, so he responded by kissed the top of her head.

 

“Kiki might get up, and I’ll just end up…” Shaina wasn’t able to hold back a yawn that ended up cutting off the remainder of what she had to say. She looked at him afterward, and all it took was a second or two before they kissed.

 

“Come on Shaina, let’s go back to bed,” Shaka said after they had pulled away from kissing. He kept his arm around her waist and moved her along with him back inside to their room.

 

Shaina didn’t protest as she let herself be lead back to their bed.  She didn’t think about the kiss they shared, or them embracing, or even why they had done so. It didn’t take her long to fall asleep once she had gotten into a comfortable position, their usual sleeping position. As for Shaka, it had taken him a few more minutes before sleep had invaded him. His thoughts had lingered on the kiss they had shared on the balcony as it hadn’t been the usual heated, filled with lust, type of kiss. It had been different, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on what exactly he had felt. In the end, it was left without any description as he had fallen asleep without really noticing when it had happened.

 

* * *

 

 

_**July 17th 4 pm** _

 

Madhuri and Aishwarya looked at one another as the young married couple sitting across from them in the living room. It was evident that the couple hadn’t slept well and had understood why Shaka had called them early that morning to see if they would come over instead of meeting at the park as they had planned. It had been a hard night for the couple as Shaka had shared with his mother and grandmother that Kiki had gotten up several times. The couple had even gone as far as letting the little boy sleep with them that was until Kiki had kicked Shaina in the back of her legs. The little boy had been oblivious to what he had done, but since then Shaka had decided to take him back to the guest room. The couple was concerned that the little boy might end up kicking her again in other areas. So Shaka had tried to catch Kiki getting in their bed and had taken him back once more. The two women had noticed the testiness in Shaka’s voice, and the lack of interest Shaina had seemed to show throughout the day. For a brief moment, both women had regretted telling Mu to try and get Shaka and Shaina to take care of Kiki for the weekend. It was fleeting. They reminded themselves that Shaina and Shaka had agreed to it, so technically it hadn’t been all their fault.

 

Madhuri noticed the time and went ahead to the kitchen to begin making their afternoon tea. She asked Shaka if he could help her out in the kitchen while Shaina, Aishwarya, and Asmita stayed behind in the living room. The older woman knew that it would be best for both Shaina and Aishwarya to talk, and even Asmita would try to get to know his daughter-in-law a bit more. As the older woman walked towards the kitchen, followed closely by her grandson, she saw Junet and Kiki playing along the shore. It made her wonder how Junet was doing knowing that Mu was out of town with the woman he was dating. They hadn’t spoken much as of late, and she hadn’t had the chance to ask what he had been up to in the recent days. In the kitchen, Madhuri began to pour water into the tea kettle and had set it on the stove. Shaka started to take out cups and saucers, along with a serving tray that Madhuri had bought for them for such occasions. Once he had finished, Madhuri had asked him to take a seat in one of the bar stools and relax, as she would be taking care of the rest.

 

“Has Mu contacted you, or Shaina, to let you know at what time he will be getting back home tonight?” Madhuri asked as she took out a serving plate from one of the kitchen cabinets.

 

“No, not yet,” Shaka said as he tried to make as little conversation as possible. He rubbed his face a couple of times with his hands and let out a sigh.

 

“You do realize that this is nothing compared to what you and Shaina will be going through in a matter of months, right?” Madhuri grabbed the pink pastry box that Shaina had placed on the kitchen island. She opened it and began to set the different types of cookies on the serving plate.

 

“It won’t be the same.” Shaka looked at his grandmother and gave her a look as if telling her that he was right. He saw how his grandmother just shook her head and smiled at him, which made him feel a little uncertain of what he had just said. “It won’t.”

 

“I wouldn’t say that if I were you.” Madhuri felt bad for her grandson and the way he had no clue what he was in for. She took it upon herself to shed a little light on what would happen once the baby would get there. “Once you bring your baby home there will be many sleepless nights, there will be a lot of days where your child will cry, and you won’t have a clue as to what is wrong with him or her. It won’t be the last time a kid sneaks into your bed and will try to kick you out of your bed unintentionally. It all comes with you having a child, but in the end, it’s all worth it, and you will have temporary amnesia and will want to do it all over again and have another child.”

 

Shaka took in the words that his grandmother was sharing with him. She was right, but it was highly unlikely that he and Shaina would end up doing this once more. They wouldn’t have another child, and they would probably not take care of Kiki for an entire weekend, again. Even if the weekend wasn’t entirely over and Mu hadn’t called them to pick Kiki up, it had been a reality check for him. He was sure it had been a reality check for Shaina as well. He had never wanted to have children, it had been a deal breaker for some of the woman he had dated in the past, but he had stayed firm in his decision. With everything that had happened so far, it had only reassured the decision he had made a long time. He didn’t want children. Thinking about the child that Shaina was carrying, his child, made him feel guilty for thinking such a thing.

 

“You will be a great father,” Madhuri said as she had approached her grandson. She had noticed how deep in thought he had gotten and by the expression on his features she could only guess what went on in his head. “Shaka, you will be a great father and don’t ask me how I know this. Everyone learns as they go and there will be people around you who love you and will be glad to help you.”

 

Shaka just nodded, but he just couldn’t see how this would all turn out. Nothing in this life would prepare him for the arrival of his son or daughter. His thoughts were soon interrupted by the voices of his sister and the small boy who had just entered the kitchen. Junet and Kiki were laughing and being silly with one another. He couldn’t help but feel a little frustrated of how Junet made it seem like it was easy to take care of Kiki, but then again she had only been around him for just a couple hours.

 

 

Junet, on the other hand, noticed the serious expression his brother was sporting and decided to try and make him smile. She grabbed her phone from her back pocket, and as soon as she placed her arm around his neck, she took a selfie of them. Shaka hadn’t come out on the picture looking very friendly, so she chose a caption that was a little on the silly side. Junet tapped on the screen of her phone, and it was up on Snapchat for all her contacts to see.

 

“Junet, you better not be posting that on Facebook,” Shaka warned as he gave his sister a stern look.

 

“Too late…” Junet said as she had just finished posting it on Instagram which she had also shared on Facebook and Twitter. She couldn’t help herself but giggle as her brother sported a frown on his face. “You’re welcome by the way.”

 

“What are you talking about?” Shaka asked as he had no clue what his sister was talking about. He turned to Madhuri to see if she knew what Junet meant, but the older woman just shrugged as she too had no clue.

 

“I’m talking about the picture I took of you and Shaina taking a nap last week. Don’t tell me you didn’t get; I remember sending it to you.” Junet began looking at everyone who she had sent the picture too. She noticed that her brother had received it, but she decided to show it to him once more just in case. “This one silly.”

 

“Who else did you send that picture to?” Shaka’s tone didn’t sound too happy. “Did you post it?”

 

“I sent it to several people actually, and it was up on Snapchat, but I could also share it on Instagram just like Shaina’s baby bump pictures,” Junet smirked knowing well that she would get her brother all riled up.

 

Upon hearing what his sister had done, it had been enough for him to get upset and take off all his frustrations out on Junet. He began telling her how thoughtless she had been in posting the picture of him and Shaina sleeping. He let her know that the last thing he wanted was another fight between her and his wife, among other things. Junet and Madhuri were completely surprised of how Shaka had lost his normal composure. Even Kiki had left the kitchen upon seeing this and had gone to sit in the living room with Shaina and Aishwarya. Junet had retorted with the same tone her brother was using, and all Madhuri could do was serve as referee. The older woman soon caught on that Shaka was releasing all his frustration on something so insignificant that practically didn’t matter arguing about. She noticed how her grandson continued bringing Shaina up, like if he was trying to avoid her any more stress and she couldn’t help but smile to herself.

 

In the living room, the commotion going on in the kitchen had gotten the attention of the two women that had been sitting on the sofa. Shaina and Aishwarya had turned their attention as Shaina’s name had been mentioned several times. Both women had stood up and had made their way towards the kitchen as they left Kiki with Asmita. They stood at the entrance of the kitchen as they observed Shaka and Junet arguing about a picture or something like that. It didn’t seem to come as a surprise to any of the women standing in the kitchen seeing Shaka upset. Aishwarya, Shaina, along with Madhuri had gathered that Shaka was venting about something completely different that had nothing to do with some pictures. Everyone that is, with the exception of Junet, as she was beginning to get upset because her brother was being so unreasonable.

 

“Shaka...” Aishwarya said as at the moment the tea kettle began to whistle and brought the room to a complete silence.

 

Both Shaka and Junet turned to look at their mother who was standing at the entrance of the kitchen. Shaka excused himself as he hadn’t meant to go off on Junet and caused a scene. Junet moaned exasperated as to release what was left of her frustration. She knew Shaina had gotten the picture and the girls had even joked about it, but she had no idea why Shaka had decided to make it into such a big deal.

 

“Sorry…” Junet said to the group as she sat on one of the bar stools and took a bite out of one of the cookies she had grabbed from the serving plate.

 

“Don’t worry…” Shaina said as she turned to see where Shaka had gone off to. “I’ll be back.”

 

Shaina turned on her heel and walked in the direction she had seen Shaka go. The Mahajan women look at the woman that had left with curiosity. That had been surprising enough for them, not the arguing between siblings, or what they had been arguing about; it had been the fact that Shaina had gone off to look for Shaka. Aishwarya turned to look at Junet and Madhuri as if not knowing what to say. Junet grabbed her phone by the counter and smirked.

 

“Not a word Junet,” Aishwarya warned her youngest as she gave her a stern look.

 

“Aren’t you just a little curious, I know I am?” Junet grinned and stood from where she sat.

 

“Junet...” Aishwarya warned once again as she followed her daughter out of the kitchen.

 

“You know you are,” Junet said in a sing-song tone as she winked at her mother and quietly walked towards where Shaina had gone.

 

Madhuri and Aishwarya stayed where they stood as not knowing whether they should go and spy on the couple or remain where they stood. Undecided of what they should do, both women hoped that Junet wouldn’t get caught and another argument would ensue.

 

 

_**((O))** _

 

 

Shaina caught up to Shaka as he had gone outside to the patio and taken the steps down that lead to the beach. He stopped walking as he felt someone grabbed his hand. He turned abruptly, still upset about what had transpired between him and his sister, and was about to blurt out words filled with anger, when he noticed who had been the one that held his hand. He immediately stopped himself from saying anything offensive; after all, it wasn’t Shaina who he had gotten upset at. Shaka tried to calm himself as he and Shaina stood in complete silence except for the waves.

 

“What happened? What got you so upset?” Shaina asked even though she already knew what the argument had been about.

 

“Junet took a picture last week of us sleeping,” Shaka said as he didn't know how Shaina would take the news. Most of all, he still felt upset that Junet had posted something that was a private moment on social media. True, they had just been sleeping, but still, it had been a private moment for him and his wife. “Junet said she didn't post it on Facebook.”

 

“I already knew about the picture.” Shaina simply answered looking at him. She looked down and noticed that she still held his hand in hers. It felt natural. She looked back up at him and saw that he had been looking at what she had. Shaina quickly cleared her throat and continued with what they were discussing. “You know how your sister is about capturing the moment. I should show you the pictures she took of us in Las Vegas. Remember, she hardly put the camera down.”

 

“She kept on making joke after joke and the angrier I felt, the more she kept on laughing and making jokes. I just…” Shaka stopped himself from going on and on and took a deep breathe in. He looked at how their hands were joined together once more and felt himself slowly calming down. He couldn’t understand how he was opening up to her, or why it felt so natural, so normal. That’s what it was. Normal.

 

“I know the feeling, all this week, the girls have bugged me to no end about the picture and they made countless jokes. I should have shown you some of the text I deleted, heck; I should have told you what they had said.” Shaina looked at him and smiled sincerely. If only she had told him about this earlier maybe he wouldn’t have gotten upset at Junet. Shaina had heard him try to make Junet understand that she would be upset about the picture, but there had been no need to. She realized that his anger and frustration had been directed at the wrong person and for the wrong reason. So she decided to lighten the mood and share a couple of the jokes that the girls had made.

 

Shaina told him about what Marin had texted her and what Geist had gone on and on about. She began sharing all the times Junet tried to change the subject because the last thing she wanted was to imagine what her brother was in to. Little by little, Shaina saw how Shaka was beginning to calm down. Shaina laughed as she continued to share other things that Geist and Marin had joked about and in the end she finally saw a small smile appearing. Shaina grinned and got a little closer to him. She placed his hand, the one she held in hers, on her waist and she placed hers on his.

 

“I know why you are really upset at and believe me I am there with you. We both are sleep deprived, we were frustrated all day yesterday looking for Kiki, and this has been one of the longest weekends we both have ever had.” Shaina looked at him with all sincerity and felt like she had to apologize for getting him into all this. She had decided to take care of Kiki for the weekend and it had caused him to get upset, and that was the last things she had ever wanted to do. “Think on the positive side of this, at least you weren’t the one that got kicked on the back of your leg and your lower back.”

 

Shaka hadn’t forgotten about that, and he didn’t see it as a positive thing, but he had to give it to her for helping him calm down. She had been entirely right on the real reason why he had gone off on Junet. Slowly and without ruining the moment, Shaka placed his other hand on her waist, and she had quickly followed. Shaina continued to smile and got as close to him as her small pregnant belly allowed it. She hugged and leaned her head on his chest while looking out towards the beach. Shaina closed her eyes as she enjoyed the sound of his heartbeat mixed in with the sound of the ocean waves. Shaka placed a soft kiss on the top of her head and took in the scent of her hair. He liked the dark floral scent her shampoo had. It always took him back to that night in her apartment. The first night they had been together since that trip that had sealed their fate. Shaina moved her head slowly and looked up at him once more, content that his anger had seemed to pass.

 

“How about you go meditate for a while, and I will take care of Kiki? And before you say anything, I will ask Madhuri and Junet if they could stay a little longer to help me out.” Shaina said as she looked at him hoping not to get any protest from him. He needed to get away for a bit, and she understood that very well because she needed to do the same. She had to admit that he needed it more than she did.

 

Shaka didn’t give her an answer and instead leaned in and gave her a soft kiss on the lips. The kiss had taken her by surprise, but the moment his lips touched hers, her eyes had closed, and she had enjoyed the feel of his lips on her. The couple kissed one another just like they had under the night sky. It was different, soft and lingering, and it was meaningful.

 

Inside the house, unbeknown to the couple outside, Junet had taken several pictures of the couple interacting. The last picture she had taken was of them kissing, which had left all three women wondering whether the couple had already fallen for one another or was beginning to. The three ladies moved from where they were in case the couple would turn and catch them spying. They reached the living room and finally served themselves some tea, as Asmita had been the one to heat the kettle once more. He was already drinking his tea as he read the Sunday paper on his tablet. As for Kiki, he was watching a movie on his tablet wearing his headphone. The little boy was engrossed in what he was watching that he never noticed when the ladies had joined them in the living room. Asmita looked at the women and just shook his head.

 

“I think it’s safe to say that Shaina was able to calm Shaka down,” Aishwarya said before taking a sip of her tea.

 

“Yes, she sure did,” Madhuri added as she too took a sip from her cup.

 

“Let’s hope that those two don’t find out that you two had the brilliant idea of getting Mu to ask them to take care of Kiki.” Asmita chimed in as he glanced at both his mother and his wife.

 

“They won’t,” Aishwarya said ending the subject then and there.

 

The women began talking about other things as well as choosing what picture they would use for the baby bump update Junet would post. All three agreed that as soon as the couple would come back from their trip to Italy, it would be time to begin buying baby furniture. Junet also reminded them that in just a few weeks Shaina and Shaka would be able to find out whether they would be having a boy or a girl. The news itself excited the women, and even Asmita had felt a little curious as to what the couple might be having. But just like father and son, Asmita would never admit to such a thing.

* * *

  **AN:**  Merry Christmas! God Jul! Feliz Navidad! Happy Christmas! Feliz Natal! Buon Natale! Joyeux Noël! Kala Christougenna!

 


	15. Chapter 15

_“Welcome to the greatest show_

_Greatest show on earth_

_You've never seen before_

_Here the fairytale unfolds”_

\- Christina Aguilera (Welcome)

 

 

**Chapter 15**

 

**_ July 21, Noon  _ **

 

After a long flight in the private plane that belongs to the Graad Foundation; the Rinaldi and the Mahajan arrived at their family home in Florence Italy. Sage and Theia had been working through the entire flight, and as soon as they got to the house, they went straight to the home office. Sage and Theia would be working most of the day as they needed to get a few things done for the foundation. It was always hard for Sage to take some time off from work. They would be in the office for some time before they would take a break to eat. Until then, the rest of the group would not see much of them. Geist had gone straight to her room leaving the newlyweds by themselves. Shaina told Shaka to leave the luggage where it was as she would be giving him a tour of the house. She wanted him to feel comfortable while on their stay and for him to be free to move around without her.

 

Shaina and Shaka walked around the property as she showed him where everything was. She showed him the kitchen and told him where everything was in case he wanted something. They walked throughout the first floor of the house were Shaina showed him the living room, formal dining room, bathrooms and the small guest room. They made their way out to the patio where a beautiful view of the city was on display in front of them. She also showed him the garden and where she thought that he might enjoy doing some meditating. If there was a thing that the Rinaldi family had, was that they would always make their guest feel as much at home as possible. They made sure that their guest were comfortable and that they had all the commodities. Shaina had made sure that Shaka had everything he needed during his stay, regardless of their barely existent relationship.

 

“I think that concludes the tour of the house,” Shaina said once they entered her room and placed her suitcase on the bed. She turned to look at Shaka who still seem to look like he was out of place. “There are a couple of empty drawers in that dresser, feel free to place your clothing inside.”

 

Shaka went up to the bed and placed his suitcase on top of it and began to unpack as well. The couple emptied their luggage in complete silence as neither one seemed to be in a talkative mood. The flight had been long, and it was evident that they were both tired. Shaina began placing her undergarments in one of the drawers along with Shaka’s underwear. The man didn’t protest as he let Shaina finish setting all the clothing that they had brought with them in the empty drawers. Shaina placed the empty suitcases inside the closet along with their shoes and also hung some of their clothing.

 

“Are you hungry?” Shaina said as she walked into the bathroom to leave his and her toiletry bag.

 

“No, are you?” Shaka said as he took a seat on the accent chair and took out his tablet and phone from his bag. “You didn’t eat much food on the plane.”

 

“You can’t blame me; I was nauseous for most of the trip, just like I am starting to get now. So, I was thinking of going to the kitchen to get something before the nausea sets in completely and ruins my day.” Shaina took off her sandals and placed them inside the closet. She went up to the bed and began checking her purse for the lollipops she had bought at the maternity store a day before. Shaina looked and looked but still couldn't find them. She went back into the closet and checked her suitcase to see if she had placed them inside one of the outside pockets. Nothing. Shaina went back to the bed and dumped all the content of her purse on the bed, but there was nothing there.

 

“What are you looking for?” Shaka asked as he had seen his wife go back and forth,

 

“I’m looking for the lollipops I brought with me.” Shaina began putting everything back in her purse.

 

“I think you took the last one on the airplane.” He told her as he remembered she had only taken a couple out of the package and placed them in her purse. She had chosen to do so because it had been just in case she needed them, but the food on the plane hadn’t sat well with her.

 

Shaina laid on the bed giving an exasperated sigh as she remembered that she had taken the last one before she slept on the plane. Without getting up, Shaina reached for her purse and placed it on the nightstand. She needed something for the nausea, and she kicked herself for not bringing the entire bag of lollipops. Shaina closed her eyes and took in deep breathes in to calm herself. She was tired of feeling nausea and not being able to eat like her usual self. One of the accountants from work had been the one that had told her about those lollipops; they had worked. Sadly, she had left them back home, and she had no clue if they would sell something like that where they were. Shaina began to think about everything she had read about the week gestation she was on. Every single book or site had told her that she should be feeling better, but many women had blogged the contrary.

 

Shaina sat up on the bed and made her way to the bathroom. She found herself in the same position that she found herself from time to time, kneeling in front of the toilet as she dry heaved. She stood up and walked over to the sink where she rinsed her mouth and splashed some water on her face. From the corner of her eye, she could see that Shaka was standing by the door observing her. Right there and then, Shaina dismissed her idea of going downstairs and grabbing something to tame the feeling in her stomach. She felt uncomfortable now, sweaty, and in much need of a shower. Not caring if Shaka stood there or not, Shaina turned on the water to cool temperature and made sure her towel was within reach. Without any hesitation from her part, Shaina took off her clothes in front of the man that she hadn’t been any close to intimacy for over two weeks.

 

“Stand there, join me, or go back to the room, I don’t care.” Shaina was not in such a good mood anymore. She had always been a moody person, but being pregnant had only made it worse.

 

Shaka stood there as he saw his wife get inside the walk-in shower and closing the glass door behind her.  He was beginning to learn more and more about her mood swings, and what triggered them. Shaina was indeed a moody person, but not intolerable, and it was nothing that he couldn’t handle. This moment that she was going through was provoked by what has just happened. His thoughts soon shifted from his wife’s mood to the image of his wife in front of him, naked, showering. Her body was changing, transforming, adjusting to their child who was growing inside of her. He felt like he was repeating himself over and over in his head but he found her beautiful, more so. The feeling became greater every time he had the opportunity to see her as she was. In a flitting moment, he wondered how long it had been since he had last had her underneath him or on top. The situation was tempting, but the timing was off, and he wouldn’t put himself in the position to be rejected.

 

Shaina closed her eyes as she tried to relax under the pressure of the running water. She reached over for her body wash and shower puff but soon realized that she had gone in without any of her showering necessities. She cursed under her breath at her forgetfulness and her mood swings. She opened the glass door and saw that her so-called husband hadn’t left and asked if he would give her what she needed from her toiletry bag. Shaka looked through the bag and took out one thing after the other. He noticed a small black velvet bag and only imagined what it contained inside. It didn’t come as a surprise to him since there had been a handful of times that his wife had done things that would surprise him. This very moment was border lining into that territory. Shaka took the items he had taken out and handed them to her. He left the bathroom and made his way to where his tablet was. He got comfortable before he sat in bed and began to look over his inbox. He checked all the emails he had received and concentrated on answering some of them. His mind kept going to the object inside the black velvet bag. He questioned himself as to why it bothered him so much that she had brought that thing with her. He knew that there was something in it, longer, thicker, back in their home, in the nightstand on her side of the bed. He had found it by pure accident when he had misplaced something of his. His mind raced with questions as to when she would use it and how often, but even though there was no answer and he had no actual feelings for her, it still bothered him.

 

Shaina stepped out of the shower and wrapped the plush towel around her wet body. She reached for the other towel and began to dry her hair. Taking a shower had served its purpose in making her feel clean and refreshed, but the stress was still present. She went up to the vanity to look inside her toiletry bag and spotted right away the item she had intended to find. She was glad she had packed it along with her things as she had thought of using it whenever she would find herself alone and in need of release. She quickly glanced towards the bedroom and could see Shaka sitting on the bed and knew that there was no way that she would have privacy to find her release. She zipped the toiletry bag close once she finished using some of the content in that bag. She finished drying her body and placed the wet towel on the towel rack and walked up to the dresser, naked. Whether he would notice her or not, she didn’t care. She pulled out a long shirt, one of his shirts, and put it on. It was long enough to cover her most intimate parts, and it was comfortable enough for her to lie in bed and take a nap.

 

“That’s my shirt.” Shaina heard her so-called husband say as she sat on the bed and made herself comfortable.

 

“Don’t worry; I’ll wash it just like I do all our clothes,” Shaina replied as she laid in bed with her eyes closed. Her hair was still damp, so she pulled it all up on the pillow.

 

Shaina stretched out her legs and her arms as much as she could before trying to get into a comfortable position. Sadly, for her, she wasn’t able as her belly began to itch all over. She ran her hands up and down her stomach as the material of the shirt was making the itching sensation even worse. Shaina sat back up in bed, a little too quickly for her liking, and went into the bathroom.

 

“What’s wrong?” Shaka asked as he stood up from the bed and went to the bathroom where Shaina was standing.

 

“My belly started to itch after I stretched out in bed.” Shaina took out a small container of belly balm from her toiletry bag and placed it on the vanity before taking off the shirt she was wearing. She was about to take some lotion out of the container when Shaka stopped her.

 

“Here, let me,” Shaka said as he took some of the lotion with his fingers and rubbed it in the palm of his hands. He slowly, and in a circular motion, rubbed the balm all over her belly making sure he would cover it completely. “I think that should do it.”

 

“Thank you,” Shaina said as she continued to look at him just as she had been doing when he had helped her. She wondered why he had done so. She didn’t need it, yet he had helped her.

 

“Did you get this balm in the same place you got the lollipops?” Shaka asked as he placed the container inside Shaina’s toiletry bag. Once again he saw that small velvet bag and couldn’t help but be bothered by it once more. Without thinking he took it out and showed it to her. “Did you get this there as well?”

 

“Give me that.” Shaina extended her hand out, but when he didn’t give it back, she tried to reach out for it. She took it away from him as her somewhat calm mood slowly dissipated.

 

“Were you planning to use it during this trip while we slept in the same bed?” Shaka asked knowing that the tone of his voice was giving away how he felt. He was more than bothered, he was offended at that she had brought that thing with her.

 

“Why do you care whether I do or not?” Shaina wasn’t sure why he was asking her, but the truth was that she had thought about using it the first chance she had a moment to herself in bed. “If I didn't know any better I would say it bothered you that I packed my vibrator with the rest of my things.”

 

“I don't, and it doesn't.” Shaka lied; it offended him that she had brought such a thing along with her.

 

“Then why bring it up?” Shaina asked even though she doubted she would get an answer from him. There was nothing wrong with pleasuring herself especially in the circumstances her marriage was in. “If it doesn't then why do you ask?”

 

Shaka thought about it for a moment as he heard his wife's words and the reason behind him bringing the subject up. His mind just kept on going over and over that he was offended, there was no way he would let her know. He had needs too, but he had done the healthy thing and meditated. It hadn’t been easy ignoring how great she looked or how she had stretched out in bed minutes ago, or even a moment ago when she had stood naked as he had rubbed belly balm all over her abdomen. He didn’t think that meditating wasn’t going to help him out as much in this area anymore. So he was offended, and there was nothing more than to throw the little velvet bag, along with what was inside, in the trash. So for lack of better judgment on his part, he did just that. Shaka leaned over, unzipped her toiletry bag, grabbed the offending item and tossed it into the wastebasket.

 

“What the hell are you doing?” Shaina couldn’t contain her anger as she tried to reach over to the wastebasket and trying to pull out the small little bag, but he blocked her off. “That is mine for my personal use.”

 

“As I recall, you have one at home; you can survive with one less.” Shaka didn’t move from where he now stood, between the wastebasket and his wife.

 

“Whether I have one at home or not, it doesn’t matter, that one right there, in the bin, is mine and I can use it or dispose of it however I want.” Shaina stood inches away from him, mad that he had done such a thing. She tried a couple of times to get her hands on the wastebasket, but he kept on blocking her path. “I am not a nonsexual person like you are Shaka. I pleasure myself sometimes and that thing you just tossed in the wastebasket I use from time to time. I’m pregnant, and even when I feel like crap most of the time, I still need and want sexual relief. I am horny, okay, and you have just tossed the one thing that is not attached to me that helps me relieve myself.”

 

Shaina’s eyes were wide with shock as soon as the last words had left her mouth. She muttered her mortification underneath her breath and took a couple of steps back, away from him. She was angry with herself, and she was moody, and she was horny as well. She had tried to keep her mood swings in check, especially when she would lash out in anger, but had never thought that she would manage to say those words out loud to him. Shaina stood there with her head down as she excused herself from being there. She quickened her step as she didn’t want to stand there feeling embarrassed, more so than what she already felt. Shaina turned on her heel and headed into the room and straight to the dresser. She pulled out the top dresser drawer and tried to take out something that she could wear around the house. Shaina continued to fumble with the clothing, trying to pick something to wear and get dressed as quickly as possible. Her mouth had always gotten the best of her, only this time she hadn’t just shared a little too much of herself but insulted him. She had called him nonsexual, it was an assumption, as he always seemed so calm and collected. There were times that she had thought that maybe he didn’t find her attractive. He was a heterosexual man with needs, but perhaps he was a little off put by how her body was changing. Long ago she had heard someone say that some men found a pregnant woman unattractive, even repulsive. This could very well be the case, but it wasn't the time to think of that as she needed to hurry. Shaina had to shake away all thought and concentrate on finishing getting ready so that she could leave the room.

 

Shaka now stood at the entrance of the bathroom as he watched his wife taking out clothes from the dresser drawer. She was in a hurry as she fumbled a couple of times by dropping her underwear a couple of times on the floor. He thought about what she had said about him, about him being a non-sexual person. She wasn’t entirely wrong, but at the same time, she wasn’t right. There was the possibility that he wasn’t as sexual as she was, but he wasn’t non-sexual. He was a man who had needs but with excellent self-control. At least that is what he told himself. Shaka knew that his wife was in one of her moods and that little moment she had a minute ago was part of it. It was strange how attractive he had found her in her moment of outrage. He had liked how expressive her eyes were while she was angry. If he had his way, he would hope that their child would have her eyes. Along that line, he also hoped that their child didn't inherit her tempter.

 

Shaka thought on her words and the moment that he had just had with his wife. He was no longer upset, and not even her words had lingered in his mind. It was simple; he wasn’t non-sexual; therefore, he wasn't offended. His wife bringing that small apparatus; that he found offensive and he had made it very clear by his actions alone. All thoughts went away the moment he saw her taking off her shirt, his shirt. Shaka found himself taking a few steps forward in her direction until he stood only inches away from her. He placed his hands on her shoulders and felt how her body tensed at his touch. It was fleeting. The tension on her shoulders eased and with his shirt in her hands, Shaina turned to look at him. She had used the shirt, his shirt, to cover her breast while she stood in front of him. Shaka couldn’t help but smile to himself at her attempt to be modest in front of him. He moved his hands from her shoulders to each side of her face tilting her head up, joining his lip to hers.

 

Shaka felt how she tensed up underneath his hold, his kiss; she had been shocked by his action, but it was only for a brief moment. Shaina didn’t pull away. Instead, her mouth softened, and she leaned into him, dropping the shirt to the floor and tightening her arms around his waist. Shaka felt how she stretched to the length of his body as if trying to mold herself to him. He admitted only to himself how much he had missed the softness of her lips. Shaka held her in place as he tangled his fingers in the soft silk of her hair. He didn’t understand why or how Shaina could do this to him, but he didn’t care either. For the next hour, Shaka would remind his wife just how sexual he truly was.

 

 

**_((O))_ **

 

               

Shaina made her way into the kitchen dressed in the shirt she had casually borrowed from Shaka earlier and panties underneath. The doors to the home office had been left open, and she could hear her father on a conference call as she had passed by on her way to the staircase. She had no clue what her sister was doing so the house on the first floor was alone. Shaina took out a glass from one of the kitchen cabinets and placed it on the kitchen table as she made her way to the refrigerator. She smiled as she saw that her sister-in-law had filled it with the essential, and her favorite juice was one of the essentials. Shaina filled her glass three-quarters of the way and took a long drink after that. It was the first time in what seemed a long time since she enjoyed having a long drink, even if it was just juice. It didn’t take long before she was refilling her glass with blood orange juice. Shaina finished drinking her second glass of juice and placed the empty glass on the kitchen table. She began looking in the pantry for something to munch before dinner.

 

Shaina took a seat in one of the chairs of the kitchen table, served herself another glass of juice and took out several crackers from the box she had found in the pantry. She would enjoy this moment, and she hoped that this would be first of many when she wouldn’t end up feeling nauseous. As Shaina was eating her third cracker, Geist walked into the kitchen and went straight to the cabinet where the glasses were. She took one out and went up to the kitchen table to fill her glass with the last of the blood orange juice. Geist took a seat across from her sister and sat. The girls remained quiet for a few minutes, but that soon came to an end when Shaina noticed that her sister couldn’t stop giving her an all-knowing smile.

 

“What is it?” Shaina asked as she placed the fourth cracker back on the table and covered her mouth. She took a deep breath and tried to relax as she tried to tame the queasiness she was feeling.

 

“Are you okay?” Geist asked as she ignored her sister’s question and asked one of her own. Her sister was placing the crackers back inside the box and putting the box to the side.

 

“Yeah, I’m fine. I think I overdid it with the crackers and the juice.” Shaina noticed her sister relaxed as well and the knowing smile appearing once more on her lips. So she would ask again, this time hoping that she would get an answer. “What are you smiling about?”

 

“I’m assuming you just woke up from a nap by the way you were eating the crackers,” Geist said as she continued to smile.

 

“Yes, but I didn’t eat many of them, just three, and this is my third glass of juice,” Shaina said as she still didn't get why her sister was giving her that smile.

 

“I can see why you would be sleepy, hungry, and thirsty. I would be too if I would have worked out the same way you did just an hour ago.” Geist saw as her sister placed her glass of juice back on the table and looked at her. “Don’t look at me like that; it’s not my fault that you decided to have sex with the bedroom door practically open.”

 

“You saw…” Shaina couldn’t finish her sentence as she realized that they had left the door open. There hadn’t been much thinking after the initial kiss, so it never dawned on them to make sure to check if the door was closed or open. Shaina started to ask herself all sorts of questions, and there was only one way she could answer some of them. She cleared her throat before proceeding and began with the most important one. “Did you see anything?”

 

“I promised I tried not to look. All I saw was legs; Shaka's legs, your legs, I don’t know whose they were.” Geist saw a look of relief on her sister’s face. She assumed that the couple had got caught in the moment as any couple would.

 

“Were we loud?” Shaina tried to ask with a serious look on her face, but the whole situation was too embarrassing. She wanted to laugh, but at the same time, she wanted to be serious. Her emotions were everywhere, and she wouldn’t be surprised if she would end up crying in the end.

 

“Enough to know that you were having sex in your room with the door open.” Geist laughed at the whole thing. She couldn’t help torture her sister, but she needed to be nice as well.  With her sister’s crazy mood swings, the last thing she wanted to do was to make her cry or angry. “I couldn’t hear anything until I started getting closer to your room. Oh, and before you ask. No, I don’t think that Dad and Theia heard anything. They have been in that office all this time, and if it weren’t for Mii calling to tell me that they are expecting us for dinner at their house, they would work all night.”

 

“Mii called?” Shaina asked as she received a nod from her sister in response. The meet and greet was beginning, and the first one was going to be Mii, their sister-in-law. “At what time are we heading there?”

 

“She said we should be there at seven and not to worry about bringing anything,” Geist said as she finished serving herself the remainder of the juice. Both women remained silent for a few minutes as they could hear their father on the phone. Geist shook her head and just looked at her sister as she figured her sister was thinking the same thing she was. “Do you think he will ever retire?”

 

“I don’t think he’ll be happy if he retired and I think Theia knows this as well.” Shaina thought about her father and how he would have a hard time retiring from a job he has been doing for a long time. For a brief moment, she wondered if it made any difference that he was becoming a grandfather for the second time. It was lovely to think that it would change anything, but it was highly doubtful.

 

“So is Shaka ready for the entire Rinaldi family?” Geist asked before taking a drink from her glass.

 

“I don’t know,” Shaina said as she placed her empty glass back on the table.

 

“Have you asked him?” Geist already knew the answer to her question, but she still wanted to hear what her sister had to say.

 

“No,” Shaina answered a little too quickly.

 

“Shaina....” Geist rolled her eyes and shook her head as she knew that her sister was being her usual self. There were times she wished that she could read her sister’s thoughts to understand her a little better. Twins or not, Shaina was always a little more special than she was. “You should really open your lines of communication a little more, not just open your legs.”

 

Shaina just shook her head and smiled at her sister’s comment; she just couldn’t help it. She knew sooner or later the conversation would go back to her and Shaka having sex, but she hoped it was later rather than sooner. The twins soon changed the conversation back to their family and the things they were to do in the city. Geist had even had the idea of getting her sister and Shaka to go out on a date while they were there. Of course, she hadn’t shared it with her sister, but Geist had already thought of a way to get them to do so. All she needed was her cousins to set her idea in motion.

 

**_ July 22, 10:45 am _ **

 

Shaina and Shaka sat on the back seat of the car as Theia drove them and Geist to the villa where all the majority of the family was gathering that day. Sage had left early to meet his twin brother and would meet with them later on. Theia and Geist were making small conversation and tried to include the couple that was sitting in the back seat. Shaina had her head leaning back on the headrest with her eyes closed and tried to relax as much as she could. She placed her hand on the side of her pregnant belly and began to rub it. She fixed herself on the back seat as she tried to keep up with the conversation. Shaina figured that the cramping was due to the what the doctor had mentioned in her last appointment. Her body was making room for the baby, and the mild cramping was normal. It was still uncomfortable, but it was nothing like what she had dealt just a few hours ago.

 

Shaina felt a light touch on her hand and then Shaka's fingers interlaced with hers. She slightly turned her head to her right and just looked at her hand in his. It was a simple gesture, but it was also a good distraction from what she was feeling. Shaina slowly turned her eyes up to look at the man that held her hand. She gave him a small smile and told him that she was alright. She assured him she was okay, but it felt like it was more for her than for him. That morning she had found herself in a familiar position as she had throughout her first trimester. Eating breakfast that morning hadn’t been an option for her.

 

“We’re here,” Geist said excitedly.

 

Geist’s words had brought Shaina out of her dark thoughts and looked up ahead at the wrought iron gate doors of the villa. Shaina couldn’t help but feel excited just as her sister had sounded. She hadn’t seen her Nonna in almost a year, and she was looking forward to it.

 

“Are you ready to be around all the Rinaldi craziness, Shaka?” Geist asked as she turned to look at her brother-in-law. She noticed that her sister and Shaka were holding hands and smiled at him. “Just stay close to Shaina, and you’ll be alright. Fair warning, the Rinaldi boys like to roughhouse a little too much.”

 

Shaina just shook her head as she heard her sister's warning. She had forgotten to warn Shaka about how the Rinaldi men could get, especially with a newcomer. Aiacos had been a target several years ago when Violate had brought him over to meet the entire family. With Yato, Yuzuriha’s husband, it had been a little worse. He had been the first guy that had been brought home to meet the family. Shaina and Geist had never invited a boyfriend to their family trips. The thought of bringing the person that they were dating meant that they were in a serious relationship, someone that they would think that they would marry. There had been one man that Shaina had ever thought of bringing over for her family to meet, but that had never happened. Once again Shaina shook away all thoughts which were no longer relevant, and now she was taking someone else.  Without thinking much about it, Shaina squeezed Shaka’s hand. It wasn’t going to be that bad. At least that is what she told herself.

 

From her seat, Geist had seen the unspoken interaction between her sister and her brother-in-law. She had seen them hold hands and she couldn’t help feel put off by it. Geist sat back in her seat and tried to dismiss what she was feeling. She wanted them to be together, to make it work, so she couldn’t understand why she was feeling like if Shaka was pulling her and Shaina apart. Geist pushed all thoughts away as she felt the car come to a complete stop. She just hoped that whatever it was that she had felt wouldn’t resurface again.

 

**_((O))_ **

 

Annalisa Rinaldi prepared herself near the entryway of the villa waiting for Theia, her son’s wife, her twin granddaughters and the newest member, her granddaughter’s husband. She had heard it all, she had seen the pregnancy update pictures that Geist would send them every week, and she heard how her granddaughter had spent a couple of days in the hospital. Annalisa was surprised to hear that her granddaughter had gotten married on a whim in a trip to Las Vegas. Her granddaughter had her moments, but she never thought that Shaina would be capable of getting married on a whim. The only explanation she could think of was that it was one of two things. The first would be that Shaina had been already pregnant and they decided to do the right thing. The second would be that her granddaughter had found the man that had finally captured her heart. Annalisa wished it was the second of the two, but she was sure it was the first. It made much more sense.

 

“Guess who’s back!” Geist said out loud as she opened the double doors of the entrance.

 

“Oh, Geist, as dramatic as always,” Annalisa said as she had walked up to her granddaughter. She enveloped her granddaughter in what she considered a tight hug.

 

“Did you miss me?” Geist asked while she held her grandmother close.

 

“Not as much as you have missed me,” Annalisa said as she slowly pulled out of the hug.

 

“Just say it, Nonna. I am your favorite that is why you miss me the most.” Geist smiled at her grandmother and then winked at her. She sure did miss her.  She looked at the facial expression on the older woman's face and couldn't help but continue her little game. Her grandmother was about to say something when Geist placed her index finger near her grandmother’s lips to silence her before she said anything. “That’s alright; you don’t have to say anything. It will stay between us.”

 

“Enough with the games young lady. Now let me greet the others.” Annalisa had noticed that Theia, Shaina, and the man she guessed was her granddaughter’s husband, standing by the entryway.

 

“Fine, fine….” Geist looked back at the group and smiled at them before she began to call out for her aunt, Celintha.

 

Theia walked up to her mother-in-law and greeted the older woman. The two women had a good relationship between them. Theia knew that the older woman was a bit anxious to get to the couple that was standing just a few feet away from them. She would have time to talk to the older woman and give her some of the things that Annalisa had asked to be brought over. Theia told Annalisa that she would catch up with her soon and made her way to where Geist had gone.

 

Annalisa turned to look at her granddaughter just as soon as Theia had left. From where she stood she could see that Shaina was already showing. The short yellow dress that she was wearing flowed nicely down her body accentuated her waistline and her pregnant belly. Annalisa was sure that the dress Shaina was wearing wasn’t a maternity dress. She could also see that Shaina seemed nervous.

 

“Well, are you just going to stand there or are you going to greet me?” Annalisa tone was sharp, with all the authority of the family's matriarch.

 

“Nonna” Shaina said as she walked up to her grandmother and hugged her. As soon as she felt her grandmother’s arms wrapped around her, Shaina hugged her even tighter. She felt like she was finally home. “I’ve missed you.”

 

“Not enough I can see.” Annalisa did sound a bit harsh, but she felt slightly disappointed in her granddaughter’s action. She placed her lips close to Shaina’s ear and whispered that they needed to talk privately later. Annalisa pulled away from Shaina and took a step back so that she could take in how her granddaughter looked. “You look beautiful my dear. Now. Are you going to introduce me to your husband?”

 

“Yes, of course, Nonna.” Shaina took a few steps back where Shaka was standing. She took his hand in hers and stood by his side. “Nonna, this is Shaka Mahajan, my husband. Shaka, this is my grandmother, Annalisa Rinaldi.”

 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Rinaldi,” Shaka said as he extended his hand to greet the older woman.

 

Annalisa Rinaldi shook the young man’s hand but didn’t let go right away. She took her time in observing his appearance, from what he wore, how he stood, to how well-groomed he looked. She had nothing to complain about, her granddaughter’s husband was a perfect looking man.

 

“It’s nice to meet you, young man.” Annalisa let go of his hand and stepped back to see how her granddaughter looked next to the man. They looked perfect together just like those couples in those clothing ads, too perfect to be true. “Why don’t we have a seat in the living room and maybe you could explain to me why I wasn’t invited to the wedding.”

 

Shaina had heard the tone of her grandmother’s voice, and she suddenly felt like she was a little girl. That feeling that she had of being home soon replaced with all sorts of emotions. She never thought she would make her grandmother that angry or even disappoint her in any way, but it was apparent she had. At that moment she felt like crying but seeing as that wasn't an option Shaina tried her best to keep her emotions in check. She took Shaka's hand once more and made their way to the living room.

 

Shaka didn’t move from where he stood making Shaina turn to look at him. He saw the sadness in her eyes and the smile that went along with it. He didn't know what to say or do. He tried to ask her if she was alright, but she had told him that she didn't want to keep her grandmother waiting. Shaka decided to ask her, either way, knowing full well that she would ignore his question, but she didn’t. She told him that she was okay before turning her head. Shaka was sure that she had just lied to his to his face; it was apparent she was not fine, and the only thing he could do was let it go. Without any further delay, they made their way to the living room where the older woman had already taken her seat.

 

“So explain to me why wasn't I invited to the wedding?” Annalisa said once the couple took a seat on the sofa.

 

“Nonna…” Shaina couldn’t come up with a good enough excuse to tell her grandmother. She couldn’t tell her the truth as to how she and Shaka had gotten married. “I wasn’t pregnant if that was what you were thinking.”

 

“The thought never crossed my mind.” Annalisa lied as she placed her hands on her lap. Her granddaughter was trying to by herself some time, and she was only confirming what she had thought in the first place. She gave her a couple of seconds to give her a moment to come up with a perfect excuse for Shaina to tell her why she had married her husband on a whim. “Shaina, you’re stalling dear.”

 

“Nonna.... I… We…” Shaina couldn’t find the right words to excuse herself for not having an elaborate wedding where her grandmother would have been part of the celebration. She felt how Shaka had intertwined his fingers with hers and had given her hand a light squeeze. It had been enough. “We didn’t exactly plan to get married while we were in Las Vegas. It was never our intention as we were there to celebrate Junet’s, Shaka’s sister’s birthday.”

 

“Junet? Isn’t she your friend from college, the one that became a nurse?” Annalisa asked a bit surprised that she had missed that when Geist had sent her the pictures of Shaina and her husband.

 

“Yes, she's the one,” Shaina answered as she felt how Shaka’s hand remained in hers. It was strange how with that single gesture from him, she felt how she had his support. It was strange, but it felt nice to feel someone on her side. Shaina cleared her throat as a way to dismiss what she was feeling. “We joked around a couple of times whether we should just elope or not, seeing as we couldn’t come up with a date for the wedding. I had too many scheduled business trips, and Shaka was busy at the office and the hospital. We just couldn’t find the right time to get married. Once we were in Las Vegas, it felt like it was the perfect timing.”

 

“You never mentioned that you had gotten engaged when we spoke on the phone.” Annalisa felt guilty for thinking that her granddaughter had gotten pregnant before getting married. She still wanted to know some details.

 

“Nonna, our engagement was very recent at the time, with work and all; we hadn’t mentioned it to anyone.” Shaina hoped that the question portion of this moment would soon come to an end. She didn’t like lying to her grandmother and all that had come out of her mouth in the last couple of minutes had been lies, everything was a lie. “I apologize for not inviting you to our wedding. It was never my intention to leave you out of such an important part of my life. I didn’t mean to disappoint you.”

 

Shaina swallowed the lump she felt in her throat and wiped away the tear that had ran down her cheek with her free hand. The only thing she had been honest about was that she never meant to disappoint her grandmother. The tone of her grandmother's voice from earlier, all the lying she had done, and the guilt of the becoming a disappointment, it was all too much for her to control. She wiped another tear away before looking at her Nonna.

 

Annalisa could see her granddaughter’s remorse for what she had done and decided to move the conversation towards another direction. It wasn’t her intention to make Shaina cry or make her feel bad for what she had done, but she needed to find out why there had been no actual wedding. Her next objective was to learn about Shaina's husband. She wanted to get to know him better; he was after all the father of her great-grandchild. He had married Shaina, and they had created a life together. In her opinion, he did seem to care for Shaina, and that was important for her.

 

Shaka, on the other hand, was impressed on how talented his wife was to bend the truth. Shaina had single-handedly made up how they had gotten married. He had also seen how vulnerable Shaina had become in just a matter of seconds. Shaka could feel the remorse in her voice when she had told her grandmother that she had never meant to disappoint her. It was apparent that the woman sitting across from them was an essential person in his wife’s life. As the conversation continued, it had been his turn to answer all the questions Annalisa asked him. He knew that the woman was interested in getting to know him at least for her granddaughter’s sake.

 

 

**_ July 22, 2:30 pm _ **

 

Shaina held on to part of the tree trunk as she felt her orgasm run through her body. She soon after heard a grunt coming from her husband who stood behind her. He thrust into her a couple of times before he stopped altogether. Shaina felt the light brush of his lips on her right shoulder and couldn’t help but close her eyes to savor the moment.  It's what she had needed to drown the last couple of hours with her family. Hearing her aunts go on and on about making plans to visit and be there for her around the time she would give birth was too much for her. Her grandmother, Geist, and Yuzuriha had joined in on the conversation, and that is when Shaina had practically lost it. She hadn’t said anything; she didn’t even try to stop the discussion. All she had done was excused herself telling them that she needed some air and left for a walk followed closely by Shaka.

 

Shaina and Shaka had walked around the premises for a while in complete silence. Soon after that, they had found themselves in the olive orchard. She had been overwhelmed by her family that she had needed to put space between herself and the rest. Shaka had tried to make conversation, and all she did to stop him, was lightly pushed him against one of the olive trees. She began kissing him, groping him, all to avoid breaking their silent walk with a conversation regarding her family.  She began to unbutton and unzip his shorts while their lips were locked in a heated kiss. If there was one thing that Shaina didn’t like, it was to be on her knees to do what she had done, but at that moment she hadn’t cared. She had taken him in her mouth and stopped any conversation Shaka had wanted to have. She didn’t want to talk; she didn’t want to go over the few events that had taken place, all she wanted to do was clear her head and put it aside, at least for a moment.

 

Shaina felt when Shaka pulled out of her. She held onto the trunk of the olive tree for just a few more seconds before she moved her hand away from it and pulled her panties back up. Shaina checked her dress to make sure it wasn’t stained nor had any dirt. She turned around to face the man that had just been inside of her a minute or two ago and zipping up his shorts.

 

“I’m sorry.” Shaina broke the silence surrounding them.

 

“For what Shaina?” Shaka asked as he took a couple of steps to shorten the distance between him and his wife. He wasn’t completely oblivious to what she had done. “For avoiding a normal conversation between us, for having sex out in the open, or for both?”

 

Shaina swallowed hard; she couldn’t find the right words to excuse herself for avoiding something as simple as having a normal conversation with her husband. She hadn’t done anything she would never consider doing. It was clear that he had enjoyed it, but there had been no thought from her part that someone might see them. She closed her eyes for a second or two to gather her thoughts even though her mind was set on ignoring what he had asked her. At least that's what she told herself.

 

“I’m sorry for the tall tale I told my grandmother of how we got married. She doesn’t need to know that we got married while we were drunk.” Shaina redirected his questions from what had just happened. “My grandmother isn’t like yours, and neither is my family.”

 

“I agree, our families are not the same, but that still doesn’t explain why you won’t answer my question.” Shaka wanted to hear her admit that she intentionally had done what she did to avoid all conversation, but he doubted she would ever hear those words.

 

“I think we should head back to the villa; I’m pretty sure everyone has arrived, and it will soon be time to eat,” Shaina said averting her eyes from him and looked at her watch. She wasn’t going to answer his question. Shaka would soon meet most of the entire Rinaldi family, and the sooner he did, the sooner they would answer all the questions they would ask. “They will want to know everything about you. The boys in the Rinaldi family like to give newcomers a rough time. Just a fair warning.”

 

“Are you going to answer my question?” Shaka asked grabbing her arm as she was about to pass by him. Shaina had looked at him with that same intensity that he had seen several weeks ago.

 

“I think you already know the answer to that.” Shaina looked at him, to her arm, then back at him once more. She turned her head forward and closed her eyes to try and calm herself. “And before you say anything else. Not once did I hear you complain.”

 

“Shaina, just answer me.” Shaka loosened his grip on her arm and lowered his hand to reach for hers. There had been a small amount of anger that he had felt, but he never once thought about acting on it. He didn’t want to argue with her, that had never been his intention, but she had avoided his question on purpose.

 

“I didn’t feel like making small conversation about something that was bothering me. So, I did what I did.” Shaina turned to look at his hand in hers and slowly raised her head to meet his gaze. Looking into his eyes only made her feel a peg of guilt. “I wanted to have sex with you, and I didn’t care if it was out in the open. Is that what you wanted to hear? Are you happy now?”

 

“Yes,” It was all Shaka wanted to hear, and that was all he had to say. He knew that she had avoided having a normal conversation from the moment that she had pushed him against the tree and began to kiss him the way she did. She had been right, not once had he complained.

 

“We should head back,” Shaina said after a moment of silence. She no longer felt like talking about this, about anything. She was in Italy for almost a full day and already wanted the trip to be over.

 

Shaina let go of Shaka’s hand. She didn’t want to have any bodily contact with him, not for the time being. She began to make her way back to the villa, back to the chaos that was her family and her life. The walk back to the villa was done in silence. They had passed by several guests that were staying in the main building of the villa. It was summer, and the villa was always filled with guests during this time of year. Guests were only allowed on certain parts of the villa and Shaina had been grateful that no guests had been around the olive orchard at the time that they had been there.

 

They reached the part of the villa where Shaina’s grandmother lived. Shaina headed straight to the back door and entered her grandmother’s home. The sound of voices could be heard as soon as they had stepped inside the house. Shaina checked herself in the hallway mirror before she made her way to where the sounds were coming. Shaina turned to look at Shaka and made sure he was still presentable for him to meet the rest of her family.

 

“Shaina!” Tokusa, Shaina’s cousin, and Yuzuriha’s brother stepped out of the kitchen bumping into Shaina in the hallway. He placed the glass he had in his hand on the hallway table before he hugged her. “We were wondering how long it would take you to get back.”

 

“You know I like my long walks around the villa,” Shaina said as she hugged her cousin.

 

“Is this the guy who knocked you up?” Tokusa said in a low voice as he pulled away from the hug and received a playful smack on the arm by his cousin. He laughed as Shaina shook her head and mouthed for him to stop it. It had made him laugh even more. Tokusa had seen the man that was standing close to his cousin but greeting his cousin had been more important. He had heard his cousin had gotten married and was expecting. Tokusa moved aside and extended his hand to greet the man. “Hey man, I’m Tokusa, Shaina’s cousins.”

 

“Hello…” Shaka greeted as he shook the other man’s hand. “Shaka Mahajan, nice to meet you.”

 

“Likewise. It’s nice to meet the man who knocked up my cousin.” Tokusa smirked as he saw that his cousin’s husband wasn’t expecting to hear that. He let go of the man’s hand and took a step back to give himself space between him, his cousin, and her cousin’s husband. He smiled to himself before he continued. “So did you marry her before knocking her up or was it after you found out she’s expecting your love child?”

 

“Excuse me?” Shaka was surprised by how direct, and invasive Tokusa was being. Shaina had warned him just minutes ago of how her cousins were, but he hadn’t been prepared for this.

 

“I didn’t stutter, did I? No, I don’t think I did. I’ll ask you again, and this time I hope you answer honestly.” Tokusa asked the same question once more. He didn’t care if he had married his cousin before or after he had gotten her pregnant. It was just his way of seeing what man his cousin was married. Before he could even continue, Tokusa felt a light smack on the back of his head. He turned to see who had been the culprit and was surprised to see his sister standing behind him. “What was that for?”

 

“Stop being such an ass.” Yuzuriha shook her head in disapproval and told her brother to go help out. As soon as she saw Tokusa headed back into the kitchen, Yuzuriha turned back to look at her cousin’s husband to apologize. “I do apologize for my brother’s behavior; he tends to be a pain sometimes. I would be lying if I said that it wouldn’t happen again.”

 

“No problem.” Shaka didn’t know what else to say.

 

“Shaina, why don’t you and your husband go to the living room. Most of the family has already gathered there while we set the dining room.” Yuzuriha smiled at both of them before she made her way back into the kitchen.

 

Shaina and Shaka stood there in the hallway for a minute or two before saying or doing anything. Shaina prepared herself mentally before she took a step forward. She could hear the laughter coming from the kitchen and the living room. Shaina heard all the familiar voices, and for some reason, she began to feel nervous. She found it strange that she could feel so many things all at once but being nervous at seeing her family was not something she would have imagined. She soon felt the gentle squeeze of her hand and turned to look at Shaka. It had been enough for her to place all thought to the side. She gave him a small smile as to reassure him that everything would be fine, but it had been more for her than him. Shaina didn’t let go of his hand, and they began to make their way where her family gathered.

 

**_((O))_ **

 

Bartch, Hakurei’s wife, and Erda, Tokusa’s wife, had pulled Shaina to the side right after Shaina had finished introducing Shaka to the family. The two women began bombarding Shaina with question after question. They wanted to know everything and they didn’t seem to want to let her go until she had answered every single one of their questions. Every so often Shaina would glance to where Shaka stood. He seemed to be having a much different conversation with her uncle compared to what she was having with her aunt. Shaina focused on the conversation that she was having with her aunt and her cousin’s wife. The two began to give their remedies for heartburn and nausea. It was all great advice and Shaina made sure to make a mental note of it all. She even went on to tell them that she would like to write it all down so that she would have it at hand. A part of her had been thankful to be around her family, with the women who were dear to her heart and that had gone through what she was going through.

 

Shaka conversation with Shaina’s uncle had been pleasant. The older man had wanted to know what Shaka did for a living and all that went along with it. He hadn't found answering the man’s questions uncomfortable in any way. After a few more minutes of conversation, Hakurei had excused himself and left Shaka on his own. As Shaka stood there observing his surroundings, he couldn’t help but find it enjoyable for the most part. Shaina’s family was a little too loud for his taste. This type of family dynamic was different from his, but it was something he found enjoyable for the most part. From across the room, he could see his wife having a conversation with one of her aunts. Every so often the older woman would place a hand on Shaina’s belly as she smiled at her niece. Shaina, on the other hand, didn’t seem to be bothered by her aunt’s actions and wondered if this was a side to her that he would be able to see more often.

 

Shaka’s thoughts were put on hold as he saw two men approaching him. He could tell one was apparently one of Shaina’s cousins. He hadn’t met him, but the family resemblance was plain as the eye can see. The other man, Shaka was sure that this man was not a Rinaldi. Shaka had been correct in guessing that the first man was a Rinaldi. His name was Angelo, Shaina’s cousin and brother to Violate. His thoughts of the second man had been correct as he had introduced himself as Theia’s son and a longtime friend of the Rinaldi family. The man’s name was Aphrodite, not a very common name among the male population. Shaka soon realized that he Shaina’s “stepbrother” and it was odd that not once had he heard Shaina mention him.

 

Angelo and Aphrodite started asking Shaka all sorts of questions. They all varied from the most common to the most personal type of questions.  The men wanted to know if Shaka was an only child or if he had any siblings. They wanted to know how long he and Shaina had known each other. They even went on to tell him that Shaina had never once mentioned him. Shaka understood what was going on and how the two men were showing how overprotective they were when it came to Shaina, but it was becoming a little too much. Luckily for Shaka, his patients hadn’t run out just yet. The two men ceased their interrogation for a moment as they heard laughter coming from across the room. Helena, Angelo’s wife, had joined Bartch, Erda, and Shaina. The women seemed to be having a pleasant conversation, and the two men couldn’t help see that the woman that they were protecting looked content. Angelo turned to look at his cousin’s husband and directed his attention to him.

 

“You know… I have never seen Shaina look content.” Angelo said gaining a smile from his cousin's husband.

 

“Yeah…” Shaka couldn’t say anything else, but he agreed that his wife did look content. He just didn’t know whether it was real or Shaina was one hell of an actress.

 

“So you know what this means, right?” Aphrodite said gaining Shaka’s attention.

 

“What?” Shaka asked a bit curious as to what the two men were now up to.

 

“If you hurt her I’ll kill you and make it look like an accident.” Angelo looked completely serious as he looked at Shaka in the eye.

 

The silence grew thick as the two men looked at Shaka, letting him know they were serious. After a few short seconds and as Shaka’s smile slowly fell from his lips; Aphrodite and Angelo both smile at the man.

 

“Geez… You should look at your face.” Aphrodite said with a smile on his lips as he tried not to laugh.

 

“We are just joking with you,” Angelo said as he placed a hand on Shaka’s shoulder.

 

“Good one…” Shaka didn’t find the joke amusing at all, but he couldn’t help feel a little nervous at how the other man had sounded threatening.

 

“No, the good one is that we both have guns and we won’t hesitate in jamming it up….” Aphrodite's smile had fallen quickly and had looked menacing as he had begun threatening Shaka once more but was soon interrupted by Angelo as he was going a little too far on his joke.

 

“Shaka, we are just messing with you,” Angelo said trying to stop himself from smiling. He soon noticed Tokusa entering the living room and he quickly signaled him over to where they were. Once Tokusa joined them, Angelo didn’t say anytime in continuing their little game. “Tokusa, we were just telling Shaka how he should lighten up just a bit.”

 

“Oh you should lighten up, it’s not every day you meet three men that will kill you for knocking up their cousin.” Tokusa smiled mischievously and looked at Shaka who held a serious look on his face. He could tell that Shaka wasn’t sure whether they were kidding or not. “We’re just kidding man, aren’t we Manigoldo?”

 

“I’m sure you have all your affairs in order, correct?” Manigoldo had approached the group of men and had caught the last of it. It was a tradition for the Rinaldi men to give the newcomers a hard time and Shaka was not going to be the exception. Sure, they were all grown men, with children, but that didn’t mean anything to them. 

 

“Alright you four, that’s enough,” Shaina spoke as she stood behind her brother as she walked up to the group with anyone noticing. She had seen from across the room Angelo and Aphrodite talking to Shaka, but once Tokusa had joined them, she guessed they were up to no good. “You’re adult men; I think you should start acting like such.”

 

“Damn woman, why are you always so bossy? You would think motherhood would soften you up a little bit.” Tokusa said with a smirk on his lips. Shaina just shook her head and rolled her eyes as Tokusa and Manigoldo left the group to help out in the kitchen once more.

 

“Hey preggers.” Angelo greeted his cousin with a hug and a kiss on her cheek.

 

“Hey” Shaina hugged him back.

 

“No promises,” Aphrodite said once Angelo had moved aside. He went up to his stepsister and hugged her.

 

“Oh well… I tried.” Shaina let her stepbrother go and looked at him. She smiled at him and took in how he looked as she hadn’t seen him for a year. He looked good, a little on the thin side, but good nonetheless. “I’ll talk to you later.”

 

“Look forward to it,” Aphrodite said as he and Angelo walked away from Shaina and Shaka.

 

Shaina saw the two men leave and just shook her head in disapproval. It hadn’t been her intention to leave Shaka by himself, but in her defense, she thought he was still talking to her uncle. As soon as she had seen her cousins and brothers talking to him, she knew they were up to no good. She turned to look at Shaka and gave him a half smile.

 

“I apologize for their behavior, and I can assure you that none of them have actually killed anyone.” Shaina got close to him and placed her arms around his waist. She gave him her best smiled and tried to reassure him that the guys were being idiots.

 

Shaka looked down at his wife and wrapped his arms around her. He didn’t know what to make of anything that had happened. He wasn’t use to the dynamic of Shaina’s family or the ‘humor’ of the Rinaldi men. Shaka looked at Shaina and didn’t know what to make of her gesture of affection either. She had come to his defense and told them to back off from all the joking, and now she was hugging him in front of her family like if they were a typical married couple. He didn’t know if it was her mood swings or if she was putting up a show in front of everyone. Shaka determined that if Shaina was affectionate to make her family believe it, then he would play along as well. Shaka brought her close, and in a quick motion, he kissed her lips. He felt how he had caught her by surprise, but he had held her close to him.

 

“Alright you two, break it up,” Erda said as she passed by the two. “Didn’t you hear Nonna call us to the table?”

 

“Oh Erda, I don’t think they heard a thing,” Bartch spoke loud enough as the couple had broken away from the kiss. She looked at Shaka and Shaina before she passed by them. “Aww… to be young.”

 

Shaka and Shaina both looked at the woman as she left towards the dining room and then looked at one another. Neither one said anything and just remained silent. They didn’t reply to the woman’s comment, and they didn’t say anything to one another. There wasn’t anything to say at all. They soon found themselves holding hands and heading towards the dining room.

 

 


	16. Chapter 16

"And I'm a sucker for the way that you move, babe

And I could try to run, but it would be useless

You're to blame

Just one hit of you, I knew I'll never ever, ever be the same

I'll never be the same"

\- Camila Cabello (Never Be The Same)

 

**Chapter 16**

 

**_ July 23rd 8 am _ **

 

Shaina placed the bottle of juice back inside the refrigerator and closed the door once she was done. She grabbed her glass from the kitchen table and went up to the counter to insert some sliced bread in the toaster. She had gotten up twice during the night to relieve her bladder. Deep down she hoped that it wouldn't become a habit of waking up in the middle of the night. It was still early in the morning when she had woken up and got ready for the day. As she had walked down the hall, she had noticed that the door to her father's room was still closed.  She had been the only one who had gotten up at the crack of dawn.

 

Shaina now waited for the sliced bread to finish toasting as she looked out the window. She opened both sides of the window and breathed in the morning air. She loved Florence, and she loved being in the vineyard even more. This was the place where she would like to live, and one day she would make that happen. She took a seat on the countertop and continued to look out the window as she waited for her toast. There was much to do that morning but was looking forward to going back to the vineyard in the early afternoon. Nonna had insisted last night that she should stay, both of them, but they hadn’t taken any extra clothing. She had assured her grandmother that today she would take some extra clothing for her and Shaka so they could stay over.

 

Shaina waited until the toast was easier to handle before taking it out of the toaster. She grabbed one slice first and began spreading some mascarpone on top. She placed a slice of tomato on top before taking a nice bite of her toast. She wasn’t sure how long it had been since she had savored any food, but she sure had missed it. Shaina let out a low moan as she took another bite of her toast.

 

“So good...” She said to herself with gusto.

 

Shaina soon finished her first sliced of bread and had even licked off the mascarpone off of one of her fingers. She soon prepared herself the other slice of bread with the same toppings. Shaina was in heaven. It was one of the few times that she hadn’t felt her stomach flip, or felt like she would be sick any minute. She truly was enjoying food, and she couldn’t feel more grateful.

 

“Good morning,” Shaka said as he stood at the entrance of the kitchen.

 

Shaina turned towards where the familiar voice was coming from. She covered her mouth with her free hand as she was still chewing on the piece of bread she had taken a bite out of.

 

“Good morning.” Shaina greeted after she was done swallowing what was in her mouth. “Have you been standing there for long?”

 

“Just long enough to see you enjoy the last piece of bread you were eating,” Shaka answered as he made his way towards where she was sitting.

 

“Ah…” There was nothing more she could say about that. She soon fixed herself on the countertop so that she would be facing him. “Do you want anything for breakfast?”

 

“Are you offering to make breakfast?” Shaka asked as he couldn’t believe that those words were coming out of Shaina’s mouth. This was the woman that in her own words had told him that she didn’t know how to cook. Yet, since they had arrived in Italy, he was sure that she had lied to him about it.

 

“Maybe…” Shaina said as she opened her legs so that he would get closer to her. Once he got close enough to her, Shaina offered some of her breakfast. She held it in front of his mouth for him to take a bite and smiled once he had. “It’s good, right?”

 

Shaka chewed on what he had in his mouth as he saw her take a bite of the bread herself. He couldn’t deny that what she had made herself tasted good, but he didn’t see himself enjoy it in the same manner she was. He heard her moan as she savored every bit of what she was eating. Since they had come together, he had never seen her enjoy eating as he was seeing her now. He couldn’t remember if he had seen this side of her when they had all been in Las Vegas, but he couldn’t. This was different for him; the way she ate with gusto, the way she smiled, and the way she licked her finger. All her actions seemed genuine; it was how she indeed was.

 

“You’re hungry today,” Shaka stated as he saw her finished her toast.

 

“I wasn’t at first, but as soon as I walked into the kitchen it was like a switch was turned on,” Shaina said after she swallowed the last of her breakfast. She was tempted to make herself another slice but thought against it right away. The last thing she wanted was to make herself sick to her stomach. “So… what do you want for breakfast?”

 

“You are seriously considering making me something to eat?” Shaka still couldn’t believe that she was offering to make him food, but he wanted for her to confirm his suspicions. Part of him was still not too sure of her so-called cooking skills, and he wouldn’t be too thrilled if he ended up getting sick to his stomach.

 

“Maybe…” Shaina smiled at him playfully as she saw the look that he was giving her. She would make him breakfast, nothing too elaborate, but simple enough to make him think she knew very little.

 

“What do you have in mind?” Shaka didn’t know what to make of what was going on. He hadn’t seen this playful side of her, and he had never thought she would ever offer to make him food. So, he decided then and there to go along with it. Sure, there was the possibility that he would get sick, but he would risk it.

 

“Well… I’m very good at pouring cereal and milk in a bowl. I can also put in some sliced bread in the toaster and then spread butter, mascarpone, peanut butter, or jam on it,” Shaina couldn’t stop smiling as she felt a bit silly joking around with Shaka. She felt great, she was in a good mood, and didn’t care about how ridiculous she was acting or feeling.

 

Shaka couldn’t help but smile at her as he found this side of her very amusing. He liked it. He soon closed the distance between their lips and kissed her, slowly. It didn’t take her much time to respond to his kiss. He caressed her cheek with his hand, and he held her close to him with the other. He felt how Shaina placed her arms around him and got as close to him as she possibly could. Their lips continued dancing slowly with one another until it was time for them to part ways. Slowly, Shaka and Shaina pulled away from the kiss and looked at one another. They remained silent, just looking at one another as if asking the other what had just happened, but neither one knew the answer. 

 

“Alright, alright, break it up you two,” Geist said as she entered the kitchen and headed straight for the refrigerator. She was beginning to get used to the fact that her sister and Shaka seemed to be getting closer, but she just wasn’t sure how she felt about their public display of affection. “Have you eaten any breakfast?”

 

“Uhm… Yes, I suppose I have, but I was also just asking Shaka if he wanted me to make something for him.” Shaina pushed Shaka away just for a bit, just enough, so that she would be able to get off the countertop.

 

“Sure you were…” Geist smirked at the couple. She didn’t believe those two had been talking about food.

 

“I already ate…” Shaina began to say.

 

“I bet you did.” Geist winked at the couple as she had interrupted her sister from saying whatever it is that she was about to say. She caught the disapproving look her sister was giving her, and it made her laugh. “Fine, I’ll be good. So what did you eat?”

 

“I made some toast with mascarpone and tomatoes,” Shaina said as she turned to clean the countertop where she had been sitting. Shaka had already picked up the spreading knife, along with the container of mascarpone. “Do you want some or are you thinking of getting something else?”

 

“Hmm… I think I’ll just grab some of whatever it is you were planning on making for Shaka.” Geist said as she began to busy herself with the espresso machine. She had no idea what to eat for breakfast, but she was sure her sister would make something delicious.

 

“Cold cereal it is then.” Shaina waited to see her sister’s reaction, and as soon as her sister turned to look at her, she couldn’t help but laugh.

 

“Oh come on!” Geist whined as she looked at the smile her twin was now sporting. She shook head and smiled as well.

 

“Turn on the oven, and I’ll get started on making breakfast.” No later had the words left her mouth that she had gained a look from her husband. She knew that it wouldn’t have been long since she had to come clean, but she had hoped it would have been later rather than sooner.

 

Shaina made her way to the refrigerator and began to take out the things she would need to make what she had already had in mind. It would take her a good half hour for breakfast to be ready, and in the end, she hoped that it would come out as it was supposed to. She could feel herself become nervous and had no idea where it was coming from. As Geist began to make small talk, Shaina decided to concentrate on making breakfast for her family. She suddenly stopped herself from doing what she was doing at the moment and glanced at her sister and her so-called husband. The mere thought of considering Shaka as being part of her family had taken her by surprise. Yet, it hadn’t been a bad feeling at all, and that alone had been even more surprising.

 

 

**_ July 23rd 3:45 pm _ **

 

Shaina walked back into the living room of her grandmother’s home. Shaka had been busy with the Rinaldi men, including her father and her uncles.  She had decided to take one of her long walks after her grandmother and aunts began making preparations for the meal they would be having for dinner. There was always workers coming in and out of the house as well as the main building of the villa. It was overwhelming at times, but there were times when it felt quite the opposite. As she was going to continue ahead towards the kitchen, Shaina noticed the glass of wine on the coffee table and her cousin and Geist seeming as if waiting for her to arrive.

 

“Well, it’s about time you made your way back to the house. I was beginning to think that we should send a search party out to look for you.” Geist said as she placed her glass on the coffee table.

 

“I just wanted to enjoy this place as much as I could before we head back home,” Shaina said as she made her way to the large sofa and took a seat. She looked at both woman and noticed the tired look on her cousin’s face. “I’m guessing you arrived here today?”

 

“Yes, I arrived this morning and went straight to my mom’s house.” Violate took her glass from the coffee table and took a long drink from it. The room was silent for a moment as the three women sat there looking at one another.

 

“Where’s Carlo and Aiacos?” Shaina asked breaking the silence.

 

“Carlo is playing with the rest of the kids, and as for Aiacos…” Violate paused before she continued with what she had to say. “He stayed back in London, and I don’t know how long he will be staying there.”

 

“Is everything okay?” Geist asked as she heard the tone of her cousin’s voice.

 

“Are you considering moving to England?” Shaina asked at the same time Geist had asked her question.

 

Violate looked at the twins before replying to either one of their questions and smiled. It was always amusing to see her cousins do something so twin like that it always reminded her of when they were younger. Shaina and Geist always seemed to have a way of bringing a smile to her face even if they hadn’t meant to do so.

 

“Things are strange between Aiacos and I. So much has happened in a short amount of time that I don’t know what to make of it anymore.” Violate took the wine bottle from the coffee table and refilled her glass of wine. She took a long drink from her glass before she began telling her cousins everything that had happened in London. “The first few days were not bad. Pandora and Rhadamanthys showed up a day after we had arrived. Minos seemed to be the one that will take over the firm once my father-in-law decides to retire.”

 

“How is Minos? Last time you mentioned him, he and his wife were finally getting a divorce.” Geist asked before taking a sip from her wine glass.

 

“His divorce became final just a few months ago. Katya decided to go back to Switzerland once they finalized the divorce. He is doing fine and grateful that it’s finally over.” Violate continued to get them up to date on Aiacos family and minor things that had happened while she was there. She knew that she would have to talk about what had happened. “Aiacos has a son.”

 

“Of course he does, Carlo,” Geist said placing her glass on the coffee table and her smile fell as soon as she saw the look her cousin was giving her.

 

“Kyoko Imada and Aiacos dated their first year at the university. Aiacos said that they had broken up and the last thing time he saw her she had decided to go to Tokyo to finish the university there.” Violate leaned back and took out her phone so that she could show them the pictures she had sent from his phone to hers. “Supposedly the boy wanted to meet his father.”

 

“Are you sure Aiacos is the father of the boy. I mean, this woman might have had a thing with Aiacos years ago, but who’s to say that the boy is Aiacos.” Geist received a nudge from her twin and a look that went along with it. True, sometimes her mouth got the best of her, and this might have been one of those times.

 

“You tell me.” Violate handed the phone to her cousin and sat back as the twins saw the picture.

 

“He does seem to look a bit like Aiacos,” Shaina said once she looked up at her cousin.

 

“Oh yeah… if you turn your head to the left and squint your eyes just right.” Geist wasn’t too convinced that the little boy in the picture was Aiacos, son, but yet again, looks had nothing to do with it. “What does Aiacos say about all this?”

 

“He didn’t think twice about it and scheduled a meet with Kyoko right away. They met, and as soon as he got back, he began to make plans.” Violate reached for her glass of wine, but thought twice about it before taking another drink from it. Her mother wouldn’t be too happy with her getting drunk too early in the day. “Rhadamanthys was upset and spoke about how the woman was just after a weekly check. Pandora was outraged and practically told him the same thing her husband did.”

 

“What did your father-in-law and Minos had to say in all this. Better yet, what did Aiacos say?” Shaina asked as she gave the phone back to her cousin.

 

“Minos and my father-in-law are more rational, at least that is what you can call it. They advised Aiacos not to rush anything, to think things through and to get a DNA test done before anything.” Violate leaned her head back and tried to will the tears away. “Aiacos seems to have accepted it the moment that woman contacted him. The results only confirmed what he already had accepted.”

 

“So what are you planning to do now?” Geist asked as she got comfortable next to her sister.

 

“Aiacos and I spoke about that before I came. He says he wants to get to know his son and be a part of his life. He already called the firm and told them that he needed to move back to London because of family affairs.” Violate leaned forward and took her glass, filling it with the last remaining content of the bottle.  She eyed the glass attentively before bringing it close to her lips. This wasn’t the first time she felt like drinking her worries away, but she always stopped herself before getting to that point. “I’m moving to London.”

 

Geist and Shaina looked at their cousin and could only assume that her marriage was hitting a rocky point. The worst of it all is that they couldn’t do anything to help her, but just be there for moral support. Geist was about to open her mouth to ask more questions, but at that moment Yuzuriha walked into the living room holding her eight-month-old daughter. All three women turned to look at Yuzuriha while they remained silent.

 

“Nonna wants us to have refreshment outside since dinner will take some time.” Yuzuriha looked at the three women as she knew that she might have walked into a very private conversation. Mentally, she rolled her eyes as once again she knew the girls were keeping her out of the loop, as usual. “What?”

 

“Nothing” All three women answered in unison, only to confirm Yuzuriha’s suspicions. 

 

Yuzuriha shook her head in disapproval. It was always the same with those three, but it didn't help that she was older than the three by several years. After all, she was the eldest of the Rinaldi grandchildren. Violate was only three years older than the twins, the twins being the last of the Rinaldi grandchildren. She always felt left out, but she still tried to be the voice of reason to the younger Rinaldi women.

 

“Geist and Violate, you know you shouldn’t be drinking so early in the day. Nonna won’t be too happy if she sees the both of you drunk.” Regardless of how she felt, Yuzuriha always took her role seriously to keeping everyone in check.”Now, come on, Nonna and the rest of the Rinaldi women are waiting outside.”

 

The three women stood up from their seat as Yuzuriha turned on her heel and walked towards the kitchen. Shaina and Geist turned to look at Violate and told her that they would continue to talk about it later. Violate nodded her head in response and grabbed the empty bottle of wine from the coffee table. Yuzuriha was right about Nonna not being happy if she saw her drunk. So she would end up pouring the remainder of her wine on the kitchen sink and would then dispose of the bottle. The three soon headed to the kitchen and out where the other women were sitting. Their conversation would be about other things and Violate welcomed the distraction.

 

**_((O))_ **

 

Annalisa looked at Yuzuriha, who was now burping her little girl. She had noticed how Shaina had sat far away from Yuzuriha and had been the only one that hadn’t wanted to carry the little girl. Every time the occasion would arrive Shaina would step away or just decline to take her. It seemed a bit strange that her granddaughter was staying away from any of the kids. She wouldn’t interact much with the older kids, and she would try to keep them at arm's length. She wondered what had changed, what’s been going on her granddaughter’s head.

 

“Yuzuriha, why don’t you let Shaina carry the baby. It will give her an idea of what’s to come, and it will give you a break as well.” Annalisa said once she saw that Yuzuriha was done burping the little girl.

 

“That’s ok…” Shaina said as she sat back and tried to move as far back as she could.

 

“Nonsense dear, now take the baby.” Annalisa insisted.

 

Yuzuriha looked from her grandmother to her cousin but didn’t say anything. She didn’t protest or say anything at all as she handed her daughter to her cousin. She was grateful for the break. As for Shaina, she held the baby girl at arm's length. She looked at the baby as if studying the child. She wouldn’t lie to herself and say that the feeling to hold a baby would feel natural or even maternal. When she was younger, she would babysit and never felt like she was feeling at the moment. She wondered if it had to do anything with the fact that she wasn’t too thrilled of becoming a mother.

 

Shaina took the child in her arms and was shocked by her thoughts. She wasn’t thrilled of becoming a mother, and she guessed that she never had. She continued her train of thought while she looked down at the baby in her arms. Her thoughts trailed from what she tried to figure out, to the child. She observed the small features of the child, her tiny hands, her small feet and her little body. She wasn’t ready for when she would hold her own child in her arms. She wasn't prepared.

 

Annalisa smiled to herself at the scene in front of her. Not because of the awkwardness of her granddaughter holding the child, but of the fact that she had been right. There was something wrong with her granddaughter. The look on Shaina’s face didn’t say that she was comfortable holding the child or even remotely happy. Something was going on. There was still the long conversation she had pending with her granddaughter, and this would be something that she would bring up.

 

“You look good holding that baby, Shaina.” Bartch smiled at her niece as she saw her holding the baby.

 

“I…” Shaina didn’t know how to answer that compliment, at least that is what she assumed what it was, a compliment.

 

Geist took her phone out and quickly took a picture of her sister before she even noticed. The image would be something that the girls back home would love to see. Heck, she also thought that maybe a certain someone might like to see how their future would soon look. Geist placed her phone back in her pocket. She would take it out again if the occasion called for it. She had to agree with her aunt; her sister looked good carrying that little girl in her arms. It sure was a glimpse of her sister’s near future.

 

“I think she looks a little afraid of the baby, aunt Bartch.” Violate said before taking a sip of her wine.

 

“I think you should stop drinking before you end up getting drunk, Violate,” Celintha said in a harsh tone. She had noticed a bit ago that her daughter had refilled her glass twice already. She didn’t understand what was going on with her, but she knew that just like her son Angelo, Violate never knew their limit when it came to drinking alcohol.

 

“Come on Violate, let’s go upstairs. Maybe you can take a nap and relax before dinner.” Yuzuriha said not caring that it had come out more like an order. She took the wine glass off of her cousin’s hand and placed it on the table before taking Violate’s hand. “Shaina, you can take care of Aria, right?”

 

Yuzuriha didn’t even wait for an answer as she took Violate by the hand. Geist had also stood up and followed the two in case one of them got out of hand. Shaina just sat there looking from the baby to the three women that had just entered the house. She couldn’t deny that Violate had been correct about being a tad afraid of the child in her arms. She had no clue whether she was holding her correctly and her head was filling with ‘what if’ questions. Shaina looked up once more to see if maybe Yuzuriha had changed her mind and come back for her daughter, but she hadn’t.

 

“What’s the matter, dear?” Shaina heard her aunt Celintha asked, bringing her out of her thoughts.

 

“I… It’s just that…” Shaina still couldn’t find the world to say what she wanted to say. The little girl in her arms began to fuss, and it made her want to pass her down to someone else. “I can’t do this.”

 

“Watch it, honey. The baby can sense your fear and anger.” Bartch said jokingly. She looked at the expression on her niece’s face, and that made her smile even more.

 

“It’s not a dog, Bartch,” Celintha said as she shook her head in disapproval. She wanted to laugh at what her sister-in-law had said, but the expression on her niece’s face was enough to make her stop. “Yes, you can, Shaina. This is just the same as you have done before.”

 

“No, I really… I just can’t.” The baby in her arms began to fuss even more, and she looked like she was on the brink of tears. “Here, take her aunt, Bartch.”

 

“Alright dear…” Bartch said as she was about to stand up to take the baby. Her niece’s now had her arms extended, urging her to take the fussing baby away from her.

 

“No, no… Let her take care of the child.” Annalisa finally spoke signaling her daughter-in-law to sit back down. With a stern look on her face, she directed her attention to Shaina. She had seen enough and knew that that wasn’t the way her granddaughter would ever act. So she did the next best thing and pushed her to deal with the situation. “You will be dealing with a fussy, pouting, crying baby in several months. This will be practice for you. Besides, Yuzuriha asked you to take care of the baby, not Bartch, Celintha, or myself. She asked you.”

 

Shaina looked at the three women sitting across from her and then at the baby she was holding. She brought the child close to her chest and made sure that the baby’s head was resting comfortably on her shoulder. She began to rub the baby’s back in slow circular motion. She knew she had done this before, many times; she just couldn’t explain to herself what was going on with her.

 

“There, you see, the baby is calming down. Just keep rubbing her back and make sure you have a good hold on her.” Celintha tried to encourage her niece. It was obvious now that her niece was nervous about taking care of the baby, but she would soon realize that there was nothing to fear.

 

Shaina did as her aunt said and rubbed the baby’s back. The little girl soon stopped fussing and had even raised her head to look around. The baby soon found the end of Shaina’s loose braid and began to pull on it. The three women smiled at the woman’s attempt to free her hair from the little girl’s hand.

 

“I think you should consider cutting your hair later on,” Bartch suggested to her niece. She remembered saying the same thing to Yuzuriha, but she had only cut a few inches off and now usually wore it up. “When I was pregnant with Tokusa, I remember deciding to cut it short.”

 

“Just don’t cut it too short, sweetheart. Men like something to hold on to sometime.” Celintha said with a smile on her lips.

 

“They also like it when women keep themselves nice and trimmed… you know… down there.” Bartch said as she winked at her niece. “Make sure to keep trimmed, the last thing you want is to give birth and be all wild and out of control. You don’t want the doctor to think that the baby has a full head of hair.”

 

“Alright, I think this is starting to get a little too informative,” Shaina said as she stood up from where she was sitting. The two women laughed at how uncomfortable she looked.

 

“Shaina, just sit back down,” Annalisa said as she noticed that her granddaughter no longer looked uncomfortable having the little girl in her arms. It was a good sign. She decided to take the opportunity and begin the conversation that was pending. “So tell me about your husband, Shaina.”

 

“What would you like to know?” Shaina looked at her Nonna not knowing precisely what she wanted to know

 

“He looks very serious, very quiet. Is he always like that?” Annalisa had looked at her granddaughter, and her husband interact, she had become curious. The man remained quiet most of the time, and he always seemed to look for her granddaughter whenever he stood away from her. It was kind of sweet now that she thought about it.

 

“Yes, I suppose he is.” Shaina thought about it after she had answered her Nonna. She wondered how exactly it was that he looked to everyone else. Or better yet, how they both looked in the eyes of everyone else. “He has his moments when he could be fun, I think.”

 

“He looks like he’s crazy about you,” Celintha said before taking her glass from the small side table.

 

“He does?” Shaina voiced out her thoughts making all three women look at her.

 

Annalisa, Celintha, and Bartch were a little surprised by Shaina’s reaction. There was something odd about it, but the women dismissed it. They understood that maybe the young woman couldn’t see what they saw.  Shaina, on the other hand, kicked herself mentally for voicing out something that she knew wasn’t supposed to be heard by anyone. She soon was thankful that the little girl began to fuss a little. It was the perfect distraction to the little blunder she had just had.

 

“You’re okay. Mama will be back soon.” Shaina held the little girl in front of her and tried to reason with the little girl, but she highly doubted that the baby understood anything she was saying to her. The baby began to pout, and she seemed to be ready to cry. “I think I broke her.”

 

“No you didn't, Shaina, she's fine. Stop acting so weird.” Bartch said as she looked at how her niece began to look a little bit out of her element. Something was going on with the young woman. “ Why don't you take a walk with her around the property?”

 

“That sounds like a good idea. Make sure to place her on your chest and have a good hold on her back.” Celintha encouraged her niece. She gave the young woman a reassuring smile and watched as her niece stood up and began to make her way towards the walkway.

 

“Does she seem odd to you?” Bartch asked the other two women once her niece was far away.

 

“I’m pretty sure she wasn’t expecting to get pregnant so soon into her marriage,” Celintha said before taking another drink from her glass. “And don’t forget, she had a miscarriage scare just a few weeks ago.”

 

“Yes, I know, but something still feels off,” Bartch said looking at her sister-in-law. She couldn’t quite explain it, but her niece did seem off, somehow. “The girl has taken care of children before and now she seems like it's something foreign to her. What do you think Annalisa?”

 

“I think the girl is going through so much in such a short amount of time, that there is no way she can get a handle on things.” Annalisa had taken her time in giving her answer to her daughter-in-law. There were some concerns, but she hoped that once she would get to talk to her granddaughter, everything would be cleared. “Shaina needs our support, and we should give it to her.”

 

“I wonder if the grandmother-to-be knows that her daughter is pregnant?” Bratch thought out loud.

 

“Do you have to bring that woman into this conversation?” Celintha was not, and had never been a big fan of her brother’s ex-wife. She didn’t know why her sister-in-law had brought that woman into the conversation or why on earth did she even have to be mentioned at all. “Whether she does or doesn’t, it doesn’t matter at all.”

 

“Let’s just change the subject, shall we?” Annalisa looked at her daughter and then at her daughter-in-law. That look alone was enough to tell the women that she didn’t want to talk about the twins mother. There was no need to bring that woman into the subject of Shaina’s pregnancy.

 

The other two women did as the matriarch of the Rinaldi family had said. Bartch quickly moved on to the next subject at hand and brought up the dinner that would take place the next day. They would all have an early dinner at one of the cellars that they had set up for events such as parties and wedding receptions. It was a special day for the birthday girl and also so the entire the Rinaldi family.

 

**_((O))_ **

 

Shaina sat in one of the many lounge chairs, underneath a large patio umbrella near the private pool. She laid back with the little girl in her arms and tried not to move as much. The little girl had fallen asleep halfway through their walk around the house. She ended up stopping near the pool and decided to take a break there as the little girl in her arms began to feel heavy. She sighed as she heard the little girl breath in profoundly and nuzzled her head closer to her neck. She looked up at the water in the pool and enjoyed how it glistened in the sunlight. It looked inviting. It seemed like the perfect day to get in and enjoy the day. She made a mental note to get in later on in the day.

 

Her attention was soon brought back to the little girl in her arms as she had heard her breath in deeply. Shaina thought about the last time she had seen Aria; she had only been a couple of weeks old, with peach fuzz hair in her head. Now, her hair was still short, but it had darkened a bit, given a close resemblance to Yato’s color of hair. She smiled to herself as she now saw that Aria looked more like Yato than Yuzuriha. As she looked down at the sleeping child, a thought appeared in her head. She asked herself who her child would resemble most. Would the baby have her eyes, her colored hair, her nose, her features? Or would the baby have the same facial features as Shaka? Shaina kissed the top of Aria’s head as her mind continued asking questions that would be answered in several months. She found it a little weird that this type of questions hadn’t filled her mind until now.

 

Shaina leaned her head back and closed her eyes as she continued to think of all the things she hadn’t considered. There was one that stood out more than the others, and it made her question herself even more. The question was simple, and it was on automatic repeat.

 

‘Am I capable of being a mother?’ She asked herself over and over.

 

A single tear ran down her cheek as she felt what the answer to her question would be. She couldn’t help but ask herself why was it that she hadn’t considered terminating the pregnancy when she had the chance. It was too late now to even entertain the idea. She didn’t know why she was also bringing it up. She wasn’t that type of person, and with what she had gone through a couple of weeks ago, she wouldn’t have been capable of getting rid of it. Another tear rolled down her cheek as the mere thought of getting rid of the little person that was growing inside of her.

 

“What’s the matter, sweetheart?” Annalisa's voice had been enough for Shaina to open her eyes and try to hide the fact that she had shed a couple of tears.

 

“Nothing, nothing at all, Nonna.” Shaina tried to reassure her grandmother by giving her best smile but knew that the woman wouldn’t believe her.

 

“Don’t lie to me. You can lie to other people, but you never lie to me.” Annalisa sat down in the lounge chair next to the one her granddaughter was sitting. “You’ve been acting strange when it comes to the little girl in your arms, and I saw how you wiped away those tears off your face.”

 

“Nothing’s wrong, Nonna,” Shaina said once more hoping this time she would convince her grandmother.

 

“I have to ask you, dear...” Annalisa wanted to know how her granddaughter was doing, but what she wanted to know was how she was processing all the sudden changes.  “How are you feeling?”

 

“I’ve had good and bad days. The first trimester didn’t treat me very well, but I’m getting better now.” Shaina didn’t think much of it to share part of what she had gone through with the woman that had such an influence in her upbringing. “The scare I had a couple of weeks ago wasn’t very pleasant.”

 

“You can always call me and talk to me about everything that is going on.” Annalisa reminded Shaina that no matter what she would always be there for her. She was glad to hear that everything was getting better for her granddaughter, but it was time to be more direct. “I’m glad to hear that the second trimester is treating you better than the first.  So, how are you feeling?”

 

“Fine, Nonna.” Shaina felt a little awkward answering the same question again. It made her think that maybe her Nonna was becoming forgetful or even hard of hearing.

 

“I don’t think I’m making myself clear. How are you feeling about becoming a mother?” Annalisa noticed the way Shaina looked at her as if stunned by the question.

 

“Nonna, I’m scared,” Shaina answered honestly as she looked at the woman sitting next to her. This was the first time someone had ever asked such a question, and she honestly didn’t know the answer.

 

“Scared of what, sweetheart?” Annalisa’s heart hurt at hearing Shaina’s voice, at her answer. “There is nothing to be scared of. Becoming a mother is the most wonderful thing that can happen to a woman. Everyone gets a little scared, I suppose, but it’s nothing to be concerned about. Besides, you have a man that seems to love you and takes care of you.”

 

“What if that changes and… and what if next year I’m divorced?” Shaina couldn’t hold the words in any longer. She felt overwhelmed by everything that was going on in her life and just being with her grandmother was enough to lose every ounce of control. She had to watch what she said as she didn’t want to tell her all the truth about what had happened between her and Shaka.

 

“Those are a lot of what ifs…” Annalisa was surprised at the words she was hearing. This was not the usual thoughts of a woman that was supposed to be happily married, and with a child on the way. Something was telling her that things weren’t as they seemed and now that they were alone, she had to ask. “Shaina, I want you to be completely honest with me as I ask you the following questions. And like I said before, you don’t lie to me, alright?”

 

Shaina nodded in response to her grandmother’s request. She had no idea what the woman would ask her, but she would try her best to be honest to everything she would be asked. She moved the child in her arms just a little bit, just enough to feel like her breast weren’t being painfully pressed down.

 

“Did you two ever talked about having children?” Annalisa asked as she observed the young woman. She dreaded asking such a question, but it seemed that the answer was obvious upon seeing her granddaughter’s actions.

 

“No!” Shaina felt like she had been a little too quickly. She wouldn’t lie about this, not about something that was completely true. They never did discuss this, not in their drunken state, not after, and not even when she had given him the news about becoming a father. “We never did get that far.”

 

“I see…” Annalisa wasn’t one bit surprised at hearing that answer. With how quick they had chosen to get married and how quickly they had conceived she wasn’t shocked at hearing all this. “I know this is a little too late to ask this, but were you using any protection at the time? I know you had told me that you were having problems with the last contraceptive you were taking.”

 

“I wasn’t. We used a condom; once, we only used a condom once that weekend.” Shaina had been sure for some time now that they had used protection only once. Sure, it had been after the time they had sex in the shower, but they had used it once. It had taken her some time to have figured it out, even after she had said and had been sure they hadn’t. “Several weeks later I was kneeling on the toilet thinking I had horrible stomach flu.”

 

“I see…” There was nothing that she could add to what Shaina had said. Annalisa thought of asking whether her granddaughter had thought about getting rid of the child, but she knew that Shaina hadn’t been raised that way. Her granddaughter would have never forgiven herself if she had done such a thing. “Shaina, why do you think you'll be divorced next year?”

 

“I… I…” Shaina was caught off guard by that question. She looked at her grandmother and considered her two options - continue to lie or tell her the whole truth. It wasn't so difficult to chose as she wasn't able to tell her what she had done. “Like some women, there was a time that I thought I wanted to settle down and have children. Now, I see that maybe I am not built for that. I might not be made to be a wife, or a mother even for that matter.”

 

Annalisa remained silent as she heard and took in what her granddaughter was saying. She was a little surprised by her admission, but not by her uncertainty. Shaina had always been the one that had struggled to fit in into the role of daughter to a mother-daughter relationship. Even now with Theia; she still saw the woman more as a friend than the position of stepmother Theia played for so many years, even before Sage and Theia had finally gotten married. Her granddaughter had a vast amount of mother substitutes; from her aunts, her stepmother and herself. Yet, she understood that it had affected her seeing the apparent different relationship Geist had with Garnet from her own.  She doubted that history would repeat itself with Shaina and her child, and even her husband, but hearing the uncertainty in her granddaughter’s voice made her think twice.

 

“Shaina, everyone is scared of becoming a mother for the first time. No one knows what kind of mother they will be until the day they become one. And just as your child will grow and learn new things, you will also grow as a mother and learn new things.” Annalisa moved further up in the lounge chair and took her granddaughter’s hand in hers. She could see how her granddaughter was deep in thought, soaking in every single word. She understood that this soon-to-be mother would need more encouragement than she would lead on. Shaina had a knack for being private about her feelings, but she also had a way of being completely open with her. “As for being a wife… Well, tell me, Shaina, why did you accept marrying the man who you recited those vows to? Why did you promise to be with him for better or for worse? You loved him enough to accept his proposal. You loved him enough to decided to elope.”

 

“Nonna I…” Shaina stopped herself from saying the one thing that was at the tip of her tongue. She wanted to, but there was no way she would be the one to ruin the story she had created. If she did, she would embarrass herself and most of all she would humiliate Shaka. She went with the next best thing, and it wouldn’t be a far cry from the truth either. “Impulse.”

 

“Shaina, I know you are very impulsive, but I know you well enough to know that you would never marry someone out of impulse. Marriage is not an impulse purchase, Shaina, and I know you would never do anything like that.” Her granddaughter had mentioned something like that the previous day, but the more she thought about it, the more she knew her granddaughter had not taken that decision lightly. She knew her granddaughter most likely didn’t want the big wedding and that she and her husband had decided on something very small, very intimate. “Honey, were you pregnant before getting married? Is that why you two rushed and decided to elope? Is this the reason why you are feeling the way you are?”

 

“Nonna, no!” Shaina looked at her grandmother in surprise that she had even thought that. Sure, it would have been much easier to explain if it were true, but there really hadn’t been much of a ‘relationship’ before that. They hadn’t even spoken to each other for some time, and when they had, it was only a few words at most. “I got pregnant the night of my honeymoon. If you can even call it that…”

 

“I was just thinking that maybe this was one of the reasons why you were acting the way you were, that's all. Besides, I wouldn't be upset if you had done so.” Annalisa looked at her granddaughter and gave her a reassuring smile. “Oh Shaina, you know I'm not that antiquated. I knew that Yuzuriha was expecting even long before she got married. She kept on saying that Yato would take her out to so many restaurants, but who was she kidding. I knew that Angelo had gotten Helena pregnant and that was the main reason he went up to Norway to propose. I knew he had gotten married and there had been no actual proposal. So you see, I wouldn't have thought of you any less.”

 

Shaina gave her grandmother a small smile as a response to what she had just shared with her. She wished that her situation had been the same as Angelo’s or even Yuzuriha’s, but there was nothing close enough to what she had done. Her grandmother would never see her the same way if she would ever find out of what she had done.  She didn’t let her grandmother see how the guilt she was feeling at that moment. So, she smiled at the older woman and nodded her head.

 

“Shaina, all the second-guessing, all those thoughts of insecurity and uncertainty will pass. You and your husband will learn a lot about each other in these months to come before the baby is born. He will take care of you, I know it in my heart, I know that he will care for you. He’s a keeper Shaina, you knew this before you got married, you knew this when he proposed, and you knew this when you decided to take that step and repeat those vows. You’ll be fine dear.” Annalisa took Shaina’s hand in hers and gave it a light squeeze. She stood up and sat on the edge of the lounge chair where Shaina was sitting and hugged her granddaughter. She made sure that she wouldn’t disturb the little girl that was in Shaina’s chest and continued to hug her granddaughter. She kissed Shaina’s forehead and pulled away to look at Shaina once more. Her smile grew as she noticed the person that was heading their way and stood up from where she sat. “I think someone is looking for you.”

 

Shaina turned her head as best as she could while she held onto Aria. Once she saw who was heading their way, she turned back to look at her grandmother, and the woman just smiled at her. Nonna told her that she would see her again in the house and reassured her how much she loved her.  She gave the older woman a tight lip smile and nodded as Nonna placed a hand on her shoulder and left right after. She fixed herself once more on the lounge chair and tried to relax. From the corner of her eye, she saw her husband take a seat in the lounge next to hers. Shaina let out a deep breath and tried to relax once more.

 

“How was the trip to Siena?” Shaina asked once she saw that Shaka had gotten comfortable.

 

“Your brother, or should say brothers, and cousins are a little…” Shaka couldn’t find a polite way to describe the men he had spent most of the early afternoon.

 

“They’re a little too much, I know. I think Tokusa is the one that starts the whole thing and it just easier for the others to follow.” Shaina smiled at him as she ran her fingers through Aria’s hair. “Tokusa has always been the rowdiest of all the Rinaldi men. There were times when Yuzuriha would say that my aunt had dropped him when he was a little boy. I think we all agree that there is some truth to it.”

 

“Your uncle invited me to the vineyard your family has in Sicily.” Shaka turned to look at his wife and thought about what he had just shared. His wife just listened to him while she placed her hands on her niece’s back. He was stunned for a moment, not by how she was looking at him or by how calm she looked, but how she looked with her niece in her arms. It was a real-life glimpse into their soon future. She looked beautiful.

 

“That was nice of him. There is still time in our trip if you would like to go down to Sicily with uncle Hakurei. Are you planning on going?” Shaina wasn’t surprised that her family wanted to make Shaka feel more like part of the family. Her uncle must have already figured out that Shaka was not like Yato or like Aiacos, but was calmer and was more serious than the rest. Her aunts and Nonna had welcomed him with open arms and accepted him as the new member of the family since the first moment they met him. Once a newcomer was accepted by the elder Rinaldi women, that person had it made. “So are you thinking of going? Shaka? Did something happen?”

 

“Huh… No, nothing happened.” Shaka answered as he saw how Shaina was showing some concern for him. This was a look he had seen before, only this time it was directed towards him. It had never been his intention to cause her any concern, but he had just been too caught up in his thoughts. He was getting a preview of how she would look in the months to come.  He looked at the little girl and thought to himself if they would end up having a girl. The thought had come to his head many times while he was meditating or when he would be at work. A little girl or a little boy. Whichever it was, she would look beautiful with their child in her arms. Shaka cleared his thoughts at noticing that she was still waiting for an answer. “I didn’t turn him down on his offer, but if there is no time I mentioned that maybe the next time we would come.”

 

“The next time?” Shaina asked more to herself gaining a look from Shaka. She hadn’t thought about when it would be the next time they would travel back to see all her family. The next few months she would be busy with work, traveling and most of all there would be a lot of growing. Her body would be doing all the growing, and she wasn’t looking forward to it. “I hadn’t thought about the next time. There is so much coming my way at work, that I can’t see when I will be taking my maternity leave.”

 

“Oh… Did you check with human resources about it?” Shaka couldn’t imagine that Shaina had thought that far ahead. They still didn’t discuss a lot about their work or personal life. He wanted to know. He wanted to hear her tell him about what her plans were and he was also glad that she hadn’t brought up about separating. He found it refreshing.

 

“I made an appointment with them after I get back. The policy is a little different than other business policies. There is also the fact that for most of December things tend to slow down for the department where I work.” Shaina wasn’t sure what would happen to her once she would reach that stage when she would have to go on maternity leave. She had heard and read the stories of how women would end up leaving their job to become a full-time mother. There were also the stories about how they would lose their position at work. She was nervous that the same thing might happen to her. “I’ll let you know how it goes.”

 

“I look forward to that.” Shaka didn’t add anything more to the subject. They seem like there was some sort of communication going on between them and it didn’t feel awkward by any means. This felt like progress.

 

Shaka and Shaina didn’t speak to one another for several minutes and looked out at the scenery. It was very peaceful even though they could still hear voices from the people nearby. Aria, Shaina’s niece, began to stir in her arms and Shaina couldn’t help but feel a bit of panic. She surprised herself a little more by this sort of action, but in her defense, this felt something completely different than before. She had never felt like this when she had taken care of her other nieces and nephews, not even with Kiki. Overwhelmed yes, but never panic, not like this. Shaina began to move to the edge of the lounge chair and fixed herself before even attempting to stand up.  She soon found Shaka standing in front of her offering to take Aria so that she would be able to stand up. Shaina handed Aria to him being as cautious as she could. There was no way she could shake her nerves away, and she had no idea if they were as visible to the man standing in front of her as it was to her. She stood up slowly once she had made sure that Shaka had a good hold on Aria.

 

“I can take her now,” Shaina said once she had fixed the skirt of her short dress. She extended her arms to show him that she was ready for him to hand Aria over. She didn’t want him to feel overwhelmed or as uncomfortable as she had been feeling.

 

Shaina waited for Shaka to hand over Aria, who as soon as she had tried to move the little girl had begun to get fussy but noticed that the little girl had stopped and was now looking at Shaka. Aria kept looking at Shaka smiling back at her; she smiled back. Shaina remained quiet and looked at how her niece interacted with her husband. Shaka kept smiling at the little girl and began to say things that Shaina never thought she would ever hear coming out of his mouth. She never thought that she would ever hear that man cooing a baby -  it was something completely different. She stood back and remained silent as she watched her niece and husband.

 

Shaina didn’t know whether she would continue to stand where she was or sit back down on the lounge chair. Shaka had ignored her about taking Aria back from him. So, now she stood there a little awkward, watching as Shaka, a man that looks like he had a stick up his butt, but this was a different side to him. It made her think that maybe he was ready for this significant change in his life. He looked good holding Aria in his arms. He looked handsome and terrific specimen of the male species. Shaina had to stop herself at that very moment. Her train of thought had taken her to a place she only assumed to be controlled by the pregnancy hormones. Yet, she couldn’t deny how handsome he looked. She stopped herself once more. Shaina heard her name being called out and was thankful for the interruption to her pregnancy-induced thoughts.

 

“Shaina!” Geist called out as she stood midway from the house to where the couple stood. “Nonna told me to tell you two that the food will be served in a few minutes.”

 

“Okay… We will be there.” Shaina told her sister as neither Shaka or Shaina moved from where they stood.

 

“Okay…” Geist said mostly to herself before turning on her heel to head back to the house.

 

Geist had seen her sister and how Shaka was holding Aria. This was a little too much for her. She had seen the couple holding hands, together in the kitchen that morning, and now this. Sure, she had seen them together many times, but there were a few, like this, that made her feel the way she was at that moment. She felt like she was losing her sister and it was making her feel even worse just thinking about it. Geist glance once more before heading inside the house. Her heart ached as she had seen her sister looking up at Shaka and had smiled. She entered the house and slammed the door on her way in. She had gained a couple of looks from her aunts and a couple of chosen words from them as well. Geist ignored them and headed straight to the room where Violate was sleeping. At that moment, she was finding herself heartbroken and upset and knew that she would lash out sooner or later. She ignored the women; she ignored everyone in the house as she headed straight to Violate’s room for some much needed alone time.

 

 

**_ July 23rd, 7 pm _ **

 

Marin placed the bill statement of her credit card back on the dining table. The electricity bill was soon due, and she had just paid the water bill with the credit card pertaining to the statement she had just placed on the table. Her and money were not in the best place in their relationship. Work seemed to be going to hell, and her dating life was nonexistent. Meanwhile, her EX kept on texting her and leaving messages on her voicemail. She had tried to ignore every single one of the messages on her voicemail, but she was an emotional cutter, so she had played them over and over. She needed Shaina to come back home and talk to her, even play her the messages and for her to give her a second opinion. She could open up and speak to Junet, but she might of not as open-minded as the twins. Besides, Junet had been a little busy with her Russian.

 

Marin picked up the brochure for renting a kitchen to start expanding her business, but her bank account wasn’t agreeing with the price of the rental. She thought that maybe she would take up Shaina’s offer and use her kitchen once her friend came back from her trip. It was the only way she would be able to make her home business take off, and she would be closer to leaving the shop where she worked.

 

Marin heard her phone go off, letting her know that she had just received a text message. She placed the brochure back on the table and attended to her phone. Deep inside, she hoped that it would be someone interested in placing an order, but as soon as she saw the screen, she noticed who had sent the text. The text was short, and it belongs to the one person who had desperately wanted to get a hold of her for the past week. She merely swiped the screen dismissing the notification. The screen on her phone was still on, and she was debating whether to open the text that she had received. The screen soon flashed showing the incoming call as her phone began to ring. It was him once again. Marin swiped on the screen, rejecting the incoming call and placed her phone back on the table. She was in desperate need of a distraction, and the only thing she could think of was to call Asterion and asked him if he was busy that night. She thought of maybe going bowling and grabbing some nachos or a pizza or both. She debated once more, but this time it was about texting Asterion or not.

 

After careful consideration, Marin chose to grab her purse, a book and head down to the cafe that was a few blocks away from where she lived. She would text Asterion once she had gotten a table and had ordered herself a cup of coffee. Once she had everything she needed, she made sure to place her phone in her purse and take her house keys from the kitchen counter. She was out the door in a matter of seconds. She wasn’t rushing to get out, but it did feel that there was some urgency to it. She rode the elevator in silence, standing next to a woman she guessed lived a few floor above hers. She had seen the woman many times, usually with a small dog in her arms but this time she was alone. Marin gave the woman a brief smile and exited the elevator as soon as the doors had opened. She fiddled with her purse as she tried to place her house keys inside, but continued to make her way down the lobby. She looked up once she was done only to be met by the man she had been trying to avoid. He was standing by the reception desk speaking to one of the building’s doormen. Her head told her to head to where the mailboxes were. She would hide there until he would leave or get into the elevator and she would be able to sneak out without him knowing that she had been there all along. Her feet obeyed her head and began to take a few steps towards the part of the lobby, but it was too late. She soon heard his voice calling her, and all she could do was stop mid-step and sighed in defeat.

 

“Marin… Marin, we need to talk.” Aioria said once he reached where she stood. “I’ve been trying to get a hold of you all this week, but you haven’t returned my calls or my text messages. We need to talk. I need to talk to you.”

 

“I said all there had to be said. There is nothing that you or I need to discuss.” Marin said not once breaking eye contact.

 

“If you just give me a minute. Please, I just need to talk to you.” Aioria tried to keep her where she stood. He needed to explain, and he needed to make his point heard.

 

“Aioria, you need to stop. All this… The calls, the text, you come here wanting to talk to me - it all has to stop.” Marin looked at him, and all she wanted to do was to turn on her heel and head back to her apartment. Her night was officially ruined. “I had a good life before you made a personal appearance once more in it. I might not have had much of a love life, but whatever I did have was good. Then you came along and jerked me around for weeks and not once did you mention, not once did you have the decency to tell me that you are married and have a son.”

 

“Marin, please, just let me talk. Just give me a couple of minutes to say my peace.” Aioria tried to plead with her, but he could see that the woman he had never stopped loving was not going to give in.

 

“Why don’t you just go back home where I am sure your wife and son are waiting for you.” Marin couldn’t stand being there, in front of him, talking. She turned on her heel and headed straight for the elevator. She soon heard footsteps approaching her and pressed the elevator button a few times hoping that it would open soon.

 

“Marin! Damn it! Please just listen to what I have to say.” Aioria was able to catch up to her and was thankful that the doors to the elevator hadn’t opened yet. He took it as a small sign from up above. Someone up there was giving him the opportunity he needed to clear things up. “Marin, I miss you.”

 

“It's a little too late for that.” Marin walked into the elevator as soon as the doors opened and pressed the button for the doors to close, repeatedly. She saw how Aioria followed her inside and that irritated her even more. “Don’t… Don’t you dare follow me! Go home!”

 

“I need to talk to you, Marin.” Aioria had made up his mind as soon as he had decided to look for her at her apartment. He wouldn’t leave, not until he said what needed to be said.

 

“What is it that you have to say to me? What is it that you have to tell me that I don’t already know?” Marin had raised her voice. She never did it often, and he knew that, but she was beyond upset now. Her night had been ruined; she had no friends at the moment that she could go and stay with and she now had to deal with this. Truly a horrible night.

 

“I made a mistake. I should have told you that I was married that day we went out for coffee.” Aioria got closer to her as he said those words, but Marin took a few steps back. That is not what he wanted. He wanted to touch her, to feel her, to be close to her. Without thinking much of it, he grabbed her arms and brought her as close to him as he could. He crashed his lips to hers and kissed her roughly.

 

“Let go of me!” Marin said after breaking the kiss and trying to get away from his hold.

 

“I love you.” He said in a low voice, his lips only inches away from hers. His hands still had a firm hold on her and once again brought her closer to him and kissed her in the same manner as before.

 

“Fuck you!” Marin responded after she had broken away from his kiss. She didn’t want to fall for him again; she was still hurt for what he had done.

 

“I want to be with you,” Aioria whispered as he was once more, only inches away from her lip. This time he made sure he had her with her back against the wall. There would be no way she could try and get away from him. He would do everything he could for her to listen to him. He would do everything he could to continue kissing her.

 

“Just fuck me,” Marin said as Aioria’s lips had moved from her mouth to her neck. Her mind was yelling out how much she hated him. She hated what he had done to her, what he had made her feel for him. But her heart, her heart still wanted him.

 

An hour or so later, both laid in bed wrapped in the sheet of her bed. They remained silent, enjoying the aftermath of their sexual encounter. Marin turned to look at him and smiled without any other thought of protest in her mind. She knew she was doing the unthinkable, the one thing she had promised herself she would never do. Yet, as he turned to look at her and smiled at her. She knew at that moment that she had completely lost her head.


	17. Chapter 17

“Oh, did I almost see what's really on the inside?

All your insecurities

All the dirty laundry

Never made me blink one time…

…I'll take your bad days with your good

Walk through this storm I would”

\- Katy Perry (Unconditionally)

 

 

**Chapter 17**

 

**_ July 24th, 9 am _ **

 

Shaina kept on looking at herself in the full-length mirror. There was no way she could continue hiding her pregnant belly with the style of dress she was wearing. It was supposed to be a flowy bohemian style dress. She had even packed it in her suitcase thinking it would be perfect to hide the bump, but it seemed that from the time she had packed it to now that she was wearing it, her bump had grown. Her breast looked way too big in this dress and the way it flowed down accentuated her bump very well. The dress still fit her well, and she felt comfortable in it, which was a huge plus - it was how her body looked that she didn’t like. Her phone's pregnancy app had reminded her that morning that today she turned sixteen weeks. Her baby was now the size of an avocado - at least that is what the app had informed her. She was now showing too much for her liking, yet she didn’t understand why. Her first trimester had been horrible, and instead of gaining weight as she was supposed to, she had lost weight. She couldn’t understand why she was showing so much. She still exercised regularly, and lately, she had been walking more than what she usually did. She just couldn’t understand it.

 

Yuzuriha had commented last night about her pregnant belly, and that had made her feel a little more insecure than what she had been feeling. Her cousin had also pointed out that her pregnant stomach seemed to have popped out more after she had eaten dinner. Celintha and Bartch had cooed at her and told her how lovely she looked, while Theia had tried to give her words of encouragement as the woman had noticed how quiet she had gotten. It hadn’t helped much, and in the end, she had tried to hide her belly by placing a throw pillow on her lap. It had served its purpose; there was no denying that. She figured it was a sort of out-of-sight-out-of-mind kind of thing. A knock at the door brought Shaina out of her thoughts. She took a couple of steps towards the door before telling the other person outside to come in.

 

“Is everyone decent?” Geist asked as she opened the door slowly with her free hand and the other over her eyes and a smile on her lips. She slowly parted her finger and tried to take a peek and see.

 

“I’m dressed, and Shaka is finishing getting ready inside the bathroom,” Shaina said as she shook her head at her sister’s silliness.

 

“Okay…” Geist continued to smile as she moved her hand away from her eyes. She looked at what her sister was wearing and frowned. Today was their weekly update picture, and they would not miss it, not if she had anything to say about it. “It’s picture day.”

 

“No, Geist, not today, please…” Shaina pleaded with her sister and gave her the saddest look she could muster. She just couldn’t bring herself to draw more attention to her pregnancy.  “I’m not feeling it today, and I even forgot to pack the dress. Besides, I think last night Nonna and the aunts took several. I’m sure you can use one of those.”

 

“Nope, I can’t. Yesterday you were fifteen weeks, and today you are sixteen. The pictures have to be accurate on the changes your body is making.” Geist wasn’t going to let it go. She wanted her sister to have a memory of this time in her life, especially if this would be the only time she would ever be pregnant. “Plus, I packed the dress with my things. I figured you wouldn’t bring it with you, so I made a note to do so.”

 

“You brought the dress?” Shaina was surprised by the fact that her sister had gone out of her way to make sure to bring the dress they had chosen for those weekly update pictures. She felt like she was getting upset just by the thought of her sister going through her closet and making sure she would bring that item with her. “You know what…. never mind. How about we skip it for today and we’ll do it tomorrow?”

 

“No, let's just do it today. I know you, and I know you'll just try to get out of it tomorrow. Just put the dress on, I’ll take some pictures, and we will be done.” Geist was not going to let her sister get out of this so easy. She quickly took a few steps outside the room and grabbed the dress she had left on top of a hallway table. She went back into the room and handed her the dress. “Here.”

 

“Seriously!” Shaina wasn't at all too happy with what her sister was doing. She rolled her eyes and took the dress from her. “Damn it!”

 

“Geez, you’re in a mood,” Geist stated as she took a seat on the recently made bed. She saw how Shaina opened the door of the armoire and stepped behind the open door so that she would start undressing. “What are you doing? It’s not like I have never seen you naked before.”

 

“Technically, you haven’t seen me naked for some time now,” Shaina said as she placed the dress her sister had brought over the door before she began undressing.

 

“Oh, please..." Geist said rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Just get out here and show me how you look without the dress on.”

 

“Why? Why do you all find it so fascinating to see my pregnant belly?” Shaina peeked her head out from behind the door and waited for her sister to answer. She didn’t get one and instead she just got a wave of her hand motioning for her to come out from behind the door. She sighed in defeat and looked down at herself before walking out. “There! are you happy now?”

 

“Oh my gosh, Shaina…” Geist quickly stood up from the bed and walked towards her sister with a big smile on her face. She placed her hands over her mouth in amazement as she looked at her sister. She had never imagined that her sister was showing that much. She thought that maybe the clothes were giving her a bit more volume to her abdominal area, and it did to some extent, but she had never imagined how her sister might look.  “Shaina you look…”

 

“Pregnant! I look pregnant. Can I go change into the dress now?” Shaina was in a mood - in an awful mood now. She just wanted to put the dress on, take the stupid baby bump picture and get on with the rest of her day.

 

“No… well, yes, but that is not what I was going to say. Shaina, you look so beautiful.” Geist took the last few steps and hugged her sister, knowing full well that she would catch her completely off guard. She tried not to hold her too tight and kept a little distance so she wouldn’t press on her belly. She soon released her sister from the hug and proceeded to touch her sister’s belly. She couldn’t explain why this felt so foreign to her and she could only imagine that her sister felt the same way. “Shaina, this is so amazing.”

 

Shaina didn’t say anything as she looked and felt how her sister felt her pregnant belly. She couldn’t agree with the amazement and joy that her sister was showing. So, she faked a smile and only hoped that it would transmit as it should. Unfortunately, her sister knew her too well, and when she saw the smile on her face, she shook her head at her. Both women heard the bathroom door open and turned to look at the man that was stepping out.

 

“Shaka, good morning.” Geist greeted her brother-in-law in Italian, to which Shaka answered in the same manner. She complimented him on his Italian, then proceeded to ask him something. “Doesn’t Shaina look amazing?

 

“Yes,” Shaka received a look from his sister-in-law that didn’t seem to believe he had used his usual tone to agree to what she had asked him. He saw how Geist moved away from his wife and made her way where he stood. She quickly grabbed him by the arm and pulled him with her towards his wife. If there was one thing he had learned in his time knowing his sister-in-law, it was that the woman was never subtle. The woman took his hand and placed it on his wife’s belly.

 

“Isn’t it amazing?” Geist said smiling at Shaka and hoping that he would catch on and get as excited as she was. “Shaina’s belly is growing, which only means that your baby is getting bigger. Oh my gosh! This is just so exciting.”

 

Shaka and Shaina just heard Geist go on and on about the pregnancy and the baby, but neither one had added to anything she was saying. Shaka continued to listen to what Geist was saying but not once had he noticed that his hand was still on Shaina’s belly - that is until he realized it. He couldn't help but think of the last time he had done this, and even if it had been just two days ago, it always felt new to him. He could honestly count the times he had done this in one hand, and he always told himself that he hoped that there would be many more. He had always told himself that he didn’t want to be a father, that it was never in his plans. A simple act of irresponsibility on their part had changed all that. As he stood in front of her, with his hand on her belly, he knew now that his plan of never having children had been incorrect. He wanted this, he wanted to see their child come into this world, and he wanted to see their child grow up. Most of all he wanted that child to grow up in a home where he and Shaina would be together. He placed his other hand on her belly and looked in amazement. His sister-in-law was correct; this was amazing and exciting as well.

 

Geist took a few steps back and looked at the couple standing now in front of her. That feeling of excitement began to dissipate and grew into something completely different. Her smiled faded, and she just looked as her sister looked down where Shaka had his hands and then looked up at him. It was indeed a beautiful moment between the two, but it didn’t cause her to feel the same. She wasn’t jealous, at least that is what she told herself and was sure she was right. This was more of seeing that her sister was emotionally bonding with someone else that wasn’t her. It broke her heart to feel like if Shaka was coming between them. She knew it wasn’t true, but she just couldn’t help stop feeling that way. She cleared her throat loud enough for the couple to hear her and get their attention.

 

“Don’t want to break up the lovely moment between you two, but maybe we should start taking some pictures. The sooner you get changed, the sooner we can start.” Geist smiled at the two hoping that she was able to hide how she felt. She didn’t miss the detail in how she saw Shaka remove his hands away from her sister. It seemed more like a caress - something genuine, something intimate. Shaina on the other hand, just looked at him, then at her, and nodded in agreement. Once Shaina stepped behind the open door of the armoire Geist turned to look at her brother-in-law. “Don’t go anywhere; I won’t take long.”

 

“I wasn’t planning on it,” Shaka said it and meant it. He enjoyed watching how the girls would get Shaina to pose for the weekly update pictures. He had every single one of those pictures, just like the ones he had collected in every ultrasound that Shaina had done.  He wanted to keep pieces of all those memories so that one day their child could see them.

 

“Alright, no one say anything. I don’t want to hear any cooing coming from you Geist.” Shaina said as she pulled the dress down.

 

“What about Shaka? Doesn’t he get a warning too?” Geist joked as she knew well that her brother-in-law would never coo, let alone at her sister. She didn’t see Shaka as the type of man that would do such a thing, but it didn’t hurt to joke around. “I’m beginning to feel like you have some favoritism towards him.”

 

Shaina walked out from behind the door and shook her head at her sister. She couldn’t help but smile at her sister’s silliness and at the thought of her having favoritism towards Shaka. There was no way that would ever happen, but she thought it was silly for her sister to say it. Shaina dismissed all thought and stood there waiting for her sister to begin.

 

“Please, let’s just get this over with,” Shaina said as she looked at her sister who hadn’t moved from where she stood. “Geist, please, I actually feel hungry this morning.”

 

“The pregnant woman has spoken,” Geist said as she smiled at her sister.

 

Geist soon took out her phone from her pocket and directed her sister on where to pose. She made sure to take several pictures just to make sure she had gotten the perfect shot. Shaka stood next to Geist as she took the pictures and would glance at the phone to see how the image had come out. He liked how the pictures were coming out, but most of all, he liked how Shaina looked.

 

“Alright, just one more picture and then we will be finished,” Geist said as she finished using a sepia filter on the last picture before saving it. She was about to take the last picture when she got an idea. “Shaka, why don’t you stand next to Shaina so I can take a picture of you both?”

 

Shaka looked from one twin to the other but did not attempt on moving from where he stood. It was evident that the woman next to him was waiting for him to take his place next to his wife, but he was sure that Shaina wasn’t too keen on the idea. He could see how Shaina just stood there quiet looking at her sister. He waited as he was sure that she would soon start to protest. It didn’t take long before he saw how Shaina straightened herself and looked at the woman that was standing next to him before glancing at him.

 

“Can we hurry up and finish this already? I’m starving now.” Shaina said as she saw the reaction on both her sister and her husband’s face. She would have argued that she didn’t want to take a picture with Shaka, that it was completely unnecessary, but her hunger had gotten the best of her. She had given in because she knew that the sooner the picture was taken the sooner she could go downstairs and grab something to eat. The fact that she felt like she was starving was a foreign concept to her. She didn’t have the willpower to ignore it. She looked from her sister to her husband and noticed that neither one of them had moved an inch. “Seriously, you two, I’m starving and I need food.”

 

“Okay…” Geist was still a little surprised by her sister’s behavior. She would have expected her to throw a fit, to argue about it, to be angry at the thought of taking a picture with her husband. Instead, it seemed like her sister was showing the beginning signs of being hangry. She had never seen this side of her sister, and for a moment she was curious to see how hangry her sister would get. Realization soon kicked in as she reminded herself that her sister was pregnant and that was enough, she had to finish what she had started. “Shaka, just stand next to Shaina and I’ll tell you both how to pose.”

 

Shaka didn’t say anything as he did as he was told and stood next to his wife. It hadn’t dawned on him that Shaina might be hungry. He had never heard her ask for food and now that she had, it had taken him by surprise. He smiled inward, as he felt like this was a good sign. Shaina, his wife, was slowly moving away from the dreadful symptoms she had been going through. He finally saw that progress that he had read so much about. It made him happy.

 

Geist had taken the liberty of taking more than one picture, and by the end, she could see that her sister was getting frustrated. She asked them to pose in different ways and not once had her sister said anything, but the expression on her face every single time that she told her that she wanted to take one more picture Shaina had not seemed too happy. She had stopped after taking the seventh picture. There were enough pictures to choose from, but the ones of them together were going to remain private for the time being. Geist placed the phone in her pocket and noticed that her sister was heading to the bedroom door. She was sure that Shaina wanted to change back into what she had been wearing before.

 

“Shaina, aren’t you going to change back into the dress you had on before?” Geist asked still a little confused by her sister’s action.

 

“I’m hungry” That was all Shaina had said before heading out the door and down the hall. She didn’t care if the dress looked liked it fit snug, even though it didn’t. She didn’t care that she didn’t like the dress she was wearing anymore. All she cared about was to head downstairs and get herself something to eat.

 

“But what about…” Geist wasn’t able to finish her sentence as Shaina had already walked out of the room and was heading down the hall.

 

Geist turned to look at her brother-in-law as in not believing what had just occurred. Surprisingly enough, Shaka looked a bit surprised himself. Geist smiled at him and shook her head as if not really knowing what else to add. She told him that she would be posting the picture of Shaina pregnancy update after breakfast. She noticed how he stood there and continued to look at her, but remained silent. Geist quickly gathered what he was silently asking and assured him that she would not post the picture of him and her sister. What she didn’t tell him was that the photographs would remain with her until she would find the right moment for her to show them to everyone else.

 

 

**_((0))_ **

 

 

Geist served herself, and Shaina, another cornetto, setting each one in their respective breakfast plate. This one was the third time Geist had served herself accompanied with another cup of caffe latte. She turned to look at her sister who had already started on her second cornetto and had helped herself to another glass of milk. She had already had a piece of crostata, and it seemed like she hadn’t had enough yet. It had been a long time since she had last seen her sister finally eating somewhat normal. She assumed it was the pregnancy that was causing her sister’s hunger. This was one thing she would be supportive and if keeping up with her sister’s appetite would be the way to support her then so she would. Sister solidarity. Both twins ate without a care in the world as the people around them talked and ate their meal.

 

That morning, Yuzuriha had been the one to make sure that breakfast had been set on time before the majority would walk into the dining area. The table with set with different food, along with several carafes of juice, milk, and coffee. She had made sure her kids were sitting down and eating their breakfast before they would run off and play.  That was a small sense of pride she felt as she had looked around the table and saw everyone enjoying themselves. It gave her great confidence to think that later on everything for Nonna’s birthday dinner would turn out perfect. Yuzuriha looked up to be greeted by Violate finally making an appearance at the dining room. She didn’t have time to say anything as she heard the crying coming from the baby monitor. She dismissed all thoughts of her cousin barely coming in. She quickly stood up, ignoring the look her husband had given her and made her way to where her little girl was. As she walked out of the room, she made sure to provide Violate with a look of disapproval on her way out. Violate had merely rolled her eyes at her and made her way towards an empty seat.

 

It didn’t take long for the blond woman to make it back to the dining room with the baby in her arms.  She wasn’t too happy now after she had seen Violate’s late entrance. Her mood worsened as she knew that the woman in question had been drinking most of the night. She shook her head and went straight to her seat only to stop midway as she saw her very pregnant cousin enjoying her breakfast. At that moment, Yuzuriha concentrated all her anger and energy towards the younger woman. She took the final steps towards her and cleared her throat to get Shaina’s attention.

 

“Here Shaina, take Aria,” Yuzuriha said before handing the small child to her cousin.

 

“Wait, why me?” Shaina said as she placed the cornetto back on her plate before looking up at her cousin. 

 

“You need to get used to it for when the baby comes,” Yuzuriha said as if that explained her full intentions. She noticed the look of panic on her cousin's face and ignored it. “Just take her Shaina. The sooner you get used to having a child in your arms every moment of the day, the better you will be prepared for when your baby gets here.”

 

“I think I rather wait…” Shaina wasn’t able to finish her sentence as the little girl was placed on her lap and her cousin had walked away right after. Shaina quickly held onto the small girl and felt anger wash over her.

 

“Shaina, stop being so melodramatic. This isn’t the first time you have carried a child, and I don’t see it as your child will be the last one you ever will hold.” Yuzuriha said after she continued to see the same look on Shaina’s face. She shook her head in disapproval as she couldn't understand why the younger woman was acting this way. She found it a bit ridiculous especially since her cousin had taken care of her nieces and nephews since they were months old. There was something not right with what was going on with the Rinaldi women.  It surprised her to think that Geist, out of all the women, seemed to be the one that was acting her normal self. “I think I should have you take care of Aria for the night. It could be great practice.”

 

“Shaina, I wouldn’t let her if I were you.” Violate spoke up as she placed her cup filled with coffee back on the saucer. She turned to look at Shaina and then at Yuzuriha. “The last thing you want is for her and Yato to have some alone time. We don’t want Yuzuriha pregnant with baby number five.”

 

“Violate!” Yuzuriha warned from where she sat. She shook her head and felt a bit embarrassed by what her cousin had said. She couldn’t deny that it would be nice to have a night alone with Yato, and would also be able to sleep throughout the entire night without being woken up by a crying child. It would have been nice, but she would never admit that it was her main reason for wanting Shaina to get some experience. She placed the cloth napkin on her lap before began to fill her plate with some food. “For your information, there won’t be baby number five.”

 

“Ha… I would like that in writing.” Violate tried hard not to laugh, and she tried to cover it by reaching over and taking a piece of crostata. She was doing well until she looked back at her cousin once and couldn’t help but laugh. “Oh come on! You’re the most fertile woman I know. Yato only needs to look at you a certain way and bam; you’re pregnant.”

 

“Violate! Please!” Yuzuriha was beside herself. There was still two kids that were almost done eating their breakfast, and she didn’t feel like having to give any additional explanation.

 

“What? I’m not saying anything that isn’t true.” Violate said before taking a bite out of her crostata. She swallowed her food and took a quick sip of her coffee before continuing giving Yuzuriha a hard time. “Besides, I wouldn’t put it past you and Yato to go to the main cellar and get lost between the barrels for twenty to thirty minutes.”

 

“Thirty? Really? I would think it would be more like fifteen.” Geist added herself to the conversation. It was just a little fun, and Yuzuriha always seemed to be so uptight. “Yeah, I think a good quickie takes about fifteen minutes.”

 

“I’m pretty sure you are an expert on the subject,” Yuzuriha said knowing full well that this was slowly getting out of control. The kids had already left the table, and that was one thing she had been grateful.

 

“Well…” Geist smirked at her cousin before taking a sip from her cup of coffee. A thought soon appeared in her head, something that she had heard from one of the guests and it made it her smile. What Violate had said a moment ago made sense as to what she had heard last night. “If not the cellar then I think the olive orchard is a good a place for a quickie.”

 

“The olive orchard? Huh… I hadn’t thought of a quickie in the orchard, but I’m pretty sure that would be a place you would like Yuzuriha.” Violate was enjoying this too much. She had only caught her cousin once having sex in the main cellar of the vineyard. She never thought that Yuzuriha would end up having sex way out in the open, aside from the cellar.

 

“I overheard a guest last night talking about hearing someone at the orchard moaning. She was pretty sure that a man and a woman were having sex out there. Yuzuriha, I never thought you were so adventurous...” Geist tried to keep her laughter in as she saw the look on her cousin’s face. The moment was cut short by the sound of her twin coughing, and she quickly turned around to see what was wrong. “Oh my gosh, are you okay?”

 

“Yeah…” Shaina tried to speak, but she coughed a couple of times before grabbing her glass of juice from the table. She took a small sip before she noticed that the little girl was now trying to get a hold of the glass. She cleared her throat before letting her twin know that she was okay and told her that the food had gone down the wrong way. Her sister ’s comment had been the reason why she had choked on her food.

 

“Honestly, I would venture out to the orchards if I had someone with me,” Geist said once she made sure her sister was alright. Shaina seemed to be back to trying to eat her food while trying to feed the little girl.

 

“I was not at the orchards yesterday, and that is definitely not someplace I would have sex.” Yuzuriha had no clue who had been the couple that had sex out in the open, but she wasn’t going to take the fall for it.

 

“That’s Yuzuriha for you. She won’t have sex out in the orchard, but she will never say no to the main cellar between the rows of barrels.” Violate couldn’t hold her laugh any longer. As intimidating as her cousin was trying to be with her, she just couldn’t stop herself from laughing.

 

“Well, this is amusing,” Yuzuriha said as she placed her cloth napkin on the table. She didn’t like being the main punchline to the cousins jokes. She felt that she had lost control of the what her objective had been. It was true that she would have loved to spend some much needed alone time with her husband. Her mother had also been the one who had convinced her to let Shaina take care of Aria for the day. She had soon begun to make plans on how she could spend her evening alone with her husband. So, being the Rinaldi woman that she was, she tried to get control of the situation once more. “Shaina, I’ll bring by the Play N Go crib to your room. Aria will sleep in there since I’m sure the bed you are sleeping in, isn’t as big.”

 

“You’re kidding me, right?” Shaina was baffled by the fact that her cousin was still thinking of making her take care of her little girl. She couldn’t do that anymore. She couldn’t take care of another kid and lose hours of her precious sleep. She was already having trouble sleeping since now there were times that her lower back had been hurting. "Yuzuriha, I can’t.”

 

“Shaina, I didn’t ask you, I’m telling you.” All three women looked at her as she finished speaking. They all seemed to be surprised by what she had just said. Yuzuriha knew that her tone had changed and it told them that she was no longer going to take any more of their joking around.

 

The room became silent for a moment. Yato used to this kind of behavior from his wife and the other women. He had wondered how long it would take for them to turn an ordinary conversation into an argument. It had taken them long, longer than he had predicted, but sooner or later he knew it would come. Things would never go as far between the women as someone would always stop them from going too far. It was just a bit difficult to see which one of the four would be the one to end this - obviously, it wouldn’t be his wife this time. Yato glanced at the man that sat next to Shaina and figured that he would remain as silent as he would.

 

“No!” Shaina was the one to break the silence and looked at her cousin. She didn’t want to take care of the little girl during the night, and she wasn’t going to let her cousin railroad her.

 

“It’s just for a night, Shaina, it won’t hurt you to take care of Aria for a night.” Yuzuriha wasn’t up to let her cousin ruin her plans. She already had an idea of what to do after Nonna’s special dinner and nothing, not even Shaina being her usual spoiled self, would ruin it for her. “I’ll bring some diapers, clothes, and I will show you where I usually keep the bottles.”

 

“Yuzuriha, I’m not going to take care of her tonight.” Shaina’s voice was firm but her actions at the moment were busy trying to feed the little girl that sat on her lap. 

 

“Shaina, I think you have already started doing that.” Geist pointed out as she kept on looking at what her sister was trying to do.

 

“I’m not…” Shaina said not really paying attention to her sister or the others around her. She was too busy trying to feed the little girl that was moving around not really wanting to eat whatever she was trying to give her. The little girl was more interested in trying to get what was on her plate. Shaina was getting frustrated. “Yuzuriha, your child won’t eat, and she won’t let me eat.”

 

“Shaina, just calm down and relax. You have to embrace the joys of becoming a mother.” Yuzuriha said before she took a sip of her espresso. She knew she was taking advantage of the situation, but she finally had some time to enjoy a meal. “Besides she will be your daughter for the day, not mine.”

 

“What?” Shaina turned right away to look at her cousin with shock and anger; all rolled into one. “You said it was for the night and now it’s going to be for the entire day? What the heck?”

 

“It’s for a day. Besides, you’ll be helping me out since I have to make sure everything will be ready for Nonna’s dinner.” Yuzuriha continued to eat her meal and only stopped when Yato had excused himself from the table. He had given her a small kiss on the lips before leaving the room.

 

Shaka sat in complete silence as he now was the only man sitting at the dining table. He was used to being around women, but not these women. He noticed that his wife was upset and had been so since the little girl had been placed on her lap. He saw how she had trouble feeding the small child, but at the same time was trying to bicker with her cousin. If there was something he knew his wife did well, it was to multitask, but for some reason, this was definitely not working for her. He knew this wouldn’t end well and he was beginning to see that his wife was not too keen on having their child, not at this moment, that is. Things had changed in her; he had seen that change, and he had become grateful that she was suddenly warming up to having their child. This morning, on the other hand, it seemed like she had woke up in a bad mood. Now, she was stuck being pregnant and taking care of another child. He knew this wasn’t a good thing, but he didn’t know whether he should intervene or not.

 

“Shaina” Shaka finally spoke up bringing the bickering between cousins to a halt. His wife turned to look at him as if asking what is it that he wanted. He reminded himself that this situation required patients. “You’re feeding her cheek.”

 

“What?” Shaina asked not really knowing what he had meant by his comment until she looked down at what he was pointing at. She saw what she had been doing, and now the little girl had the mashed banana on her cheek. “Oh my gosh.”

 

Shaina grabbed her napkin and began to wipe away the food off Aria’s face. She felt embarrassed by what she had done as she had been too consumed in bickering with Yuzuriha. Her anger grew, but it was mostly directed at herself, and at what she felt was her incompetence. She overheard Yuzuriha telling her that she was in desperate need of the practice if she wasn’t able to feed a child properly, to which Shaina tried to ignore. Once she finished cleaning the little girl’s face, she tried to turn her as close to her as she could. The awkward sitting position of the little girl was making Aria begin to get fuzzy. Aria began to push away from where she sat, complicating things for Shaina.

 

Shaina was at her ends with taking care of Aria, and she had only had been taking care of her for twenty minutes. Her emotions were going into overdrive. There was no way she could do this, not now, not when the time would come when it would be her child. She kept looking at the child fussing on her lap, but her mind was filled with anger and rage. She just couldn’t understand why she was feeling the way she was, but she knew that she had to get a grip on herself. Somehow, she just had to. Without saying a word, she got up from her chair with the child in her arms. She ignored her cousin that continued taunting her with comments about her child. She ignored Shaka’s offer to take Aria from her. She ignored the questionable looks she got from Violate and Geist. Shaina simply grabbed the baby bottle and the small bowl filled with the mashed banana and cereal and left the dining room.

 

Everyone at the table became silent as they saw Shaina leave the room with Aria in her arms. Geist had been the first one to speak as she saw Shaka get up and head where Shaina had gone. She had stopped him from taking another step further and advised him not to follow her twin. She knew her twin more than he did and she reminded him of that. Shaka had just looked at her and told her that he understood. He had remained standing there for a few minutes just looking at her before Yato had walked back into the dining room and asked him if he wanted to join him down at the main building of the vineyard. After her brother-in-law left the room, she turned to her cousin’s, and they began an entirely new conversation. Geist spoke to Yuzuriha and Violate like if nothing had occurred, but deep inside she was content. She felt the satisfaction in her words when she had told her brother-in-law that she was the one that knew her sister best. She had set her foot on the ground and indirectly said to him that he wouldn’t come between her and her twin. Deep down inside she knew Shaka would never come between them, but for some reason, it felt like it.

 

 

**_ July 24th 1 pm _ **

 

Shaina fixed herself in the bed were Aria laid asleep. She laid on her side and began to run her hands through Arias soft hair. The little girl sighed in her sleep, even stirred a little, but she didn’t wake, and Shaina felt grateful.  When she had left the dining room, she had found herself walking towards the kitchen and walking out to the patio. She had sat Aria down in one of the patio chairs in front of her and had fed her breakfast. Her hands had shaken a little when she had fed her as anger and stress still were present, but she had managed to keep it inside.

 

Shaina shed a few tears as she stroked Arias hair at the thought that she was very close to losing her control and very close to taking her anger out on an innocent child. She closed her eyes as she leaned her head on the pillow and soon her mind began to go back to a time when she had been with someone else, with the man she once loved. The words he had said to her one day came crashing down on her. A couple of more tears ran down her face as the words rang over and over in her head.

 

‘Shaina, you and I are not the type of people that want to be tied down and have kids. We love our freedom, and we love being able to enjoy one another with no interruptions.’ The man’s voice came loud and clear in her head.

 

Shaina opened her eyes as she heard the sound of the bedroom door open. She quickly wiped away the tears that had ran down her face and looked over her shoulder to see who was coming in. She saw that Geist was the one that made her way inside and left the door open behind her.

 

Geist smiled at Shaina and made her way straight to the bed where she made herself comfortable. She tried not to disrupt the little girl’s sleep as she fixed herself on the bed. She looked at Aria and then looked at her sister. She could tell that something was bothering her, and could even guess that she had been crying. She let out a breath and fixed the pillow so that she could reposition herself.

 

 “What’s wrong?” Geist asked once she had finished settling down.

 

“I’ve been thinking… a lot.” Shaina said as she continued to look at the little girl. Her fingers were busying themselves as she ran them through the little girl’s hair. “He was right.”

 

“Who was right and about what?” Geist had no clue who her sister was talking about. She couldn’t think of anything and not even if they were twins could she read her sister’s mind.

 

“He once told me that I, we, weren’t the type of people to have children. That I, we, weren’t the marrying type.” Shaina kept on looking at Aria, not daring to see the expression on her sister’s face. She sighed and shook her head as she thought of that moment when he had said that. “I can’t believe he was right all along.”

 

“Shaina…” Geist caught who Shaina was speaking of. She remembered that day her sister had told her about that and how her sister had laughed about it. There was a time she knew her sister had wanted to have children with that man; she had been in love with him after all. She was scared to ask her the next question and even more so to know the answer, but there was only one way to find out. “Do you want to stop this? Do you want to terminate the pregnancy, because if you do, it's already too late.”

 

“No, you know I wouldn’t do that.” Shaina kept her eyes on the little girl as she didn’t dare to look at her sister. She knew that she could break down again and she didn’t want to end up waking Aria up. “I just regret not believing what he had said. I always thought that maybe he just didn’t want the responsibility or to be in a committed relationship, but now I understand what he said.”

 

“Shaina, what he told you before, it doesn’t matter anymore. It was never true.” Geist noticed how her sister avoided looking at her. She mentally shook her head in disapproval. Shaina hardly ever talked about her ex when they were together, but there were somethings that she had shared with her; this being one of those things. Regardless of what she began to feel towards Shaka being with her sister, she wanted for things to get better between them. Shaka needed to do something that would make Shaina see that he cared for her. She needed for him to make a grand gesture, but it seemed like it all fell on wishful thinking. “Things will get better, and there will come a time when you will see that HE was mistaken.”

 

“Hmm…” Shaina didn’t say anything else as she placed her hand closer to Aria’s back and tried to relax.

 

“Shaina, you know HE was wrong. I’m sure that he loved you in his own way, but he wasn’t right. I’m sure he would have changed his mind if you would have given him a child.” Geist said as she looked down at her sister.

 

“I thought I was… He found the pregnancy test in the wastebasket of the bathroom.” Shaina kept her attention on Aria. She knew she could cry at any moment as the memories of the time in her life kept flooding back. “He never said anything about the test, but I assumed that was the reason why he told me later on that night. It was stupid of me to think that he ever wanted to raise a family with me.”

 

“Why didn’t you tell me you thought you were pregnant?” The question left her mouth without even thinking. She mentally shook her head as she told herself that that part of her sister’s life no longer mattered.

 

“It’s something that I couldn’t share with anyone. I was two weeks late, and the idea of becoming a mother had been exciting. A few days later after that, I finally got my period, and I felt some sense of relief.” Shaina closed her eyes for a second or two as she tried hard to will the tears away. She hated that HE still had a small hold on her, even after three years, HE was still present. “As you said before, it doesn’t matter anymore.”

 

“Shaina, I hate to repeat myself, but you leave me no choice,” Geist said as she hoped that her sister would finally look at her, but upon seeing that she didn’t, she continued. “That man was not good for you, he never was. Maybe, this pregnancy, along with the gorgeous husband that comes as part of the package, was a godsend.”

 

“Geist!” Shaina finally looked up at her sister and shook her head.

 

“Oh please, Shaina, your husband is gorgeous whether you want to admit it at this moment or not.” Geist smiled back at her sister, but at the same time to herself. She had finally gotten her sister to look at her. This was what she wanted, and now that she had accomplished it, she would try to cheer her sister up. She would also try to make her see that she could lose something that she had slowly been creating and hadn’t even realized it. “Remember the first day we met him?”

 

“Yeah, we were all moving into that two bedroom apartment.” Shaina fixed herself in the bed to get a better look at her sister.

 

“I remember we had only seen him in the pictures Junet used to have around the dorm room the first year. He is better looking in person that’s for sure.” Geist said as she reminisced. Those years they lived in the apartment had been fun and chaotic, but well worth it. “I think Marin wasn’t able to form a single word other than the word hello.”

 

“He was alright.” Shaina smiled and shook her head as she remembered that day in their living room. “Then he had to open his mouth and the entire image of him melted.”

 

“I have to admit that he was a little too full of himself, but still, he’s good enough to look at.” Geist had to admit that this was going well. She could see that her sister was getting in a better mood and this would only help her out for what she wanted to tell her later. “Who would have thought that you two would end up getting married? I think we all knew that you two didn’t like one another.”

 

“We never did, and we still don’t.” The words came out of Shaina’s mouth a little too quick, but she felt that they were right. “Besides, you know why we ended up married.”

 

“No, none of us do, actually. You don’t talk about it, and it’s not like Shaka is an open book.” Geist wanted to hear how it all had happened and she hoped that she would get all the details. “Maybe you would like to share that with me. I would love to hear how you and Shaka ended up getting married by an Elvis impersonator.”

 

“That’s a story for another time,” Shaina said as her eyes went from her sister to Aria. She really didn’t feel like talking about what had happened that night. Her sister was right about one thing. She would have never pictured herself marrying a man that she never liked. “Maybe some other time.”

 

“I will hold you that.” Geist smiled sadly as she had seen her sister demeanor fall once more. She noticed the small change in her sister’s mood and decided to continue before her sister got in the same mood she had been in. “Shaina, in regards to your marriage and the baby that is on the way. Are you looking forward to finding out what you will be having?”

 

“I still have like two to four weeks to go. I really haven’t thought of the day I will get to find out whether I will be having a boy or a girl.” As if by instinct, Shaina’s hand went directly to her midsection and her sight as well. Shaina rubbed her still small pregnant belly, and a little smile appeared on her lips.

 

Geist noticed the smile on her sister’s lips, and it made her smile as well. This is what she wanted to see, and she was sure that this would be something that Shaka wanted to see happening. It made her feel like this was a change in her sister, and she hoped that sooner or later she would see more and more of this.

 

“Can you imagine if you had a little girl? Just imagine…” Geist began to describe how the little girl would end up looking. From the color of hair to the color of her eyes. She also kept suggestion several names that she thought would fit the little girl well. “I really hope you have a little girl. She will be beautiful with light brown hair and beautiful blue eyes.”

 

“I think you are getting ahead of yourself,” Shaina said as she looked up at her sister but kept her hand on her belly. She enjoyed hearing the enthusiasm in her sister’s voice. It brought a smile to her face.

 

“I think you should start doing the same,” Geist suggested with a smile on her lips.

 

“I can’t…” Shaina answered, but her smile hadn’t entirely faded.

 

“Why?” Geist asked as she became curious and needed to know her sister’s reasons. That was the only way she would understand her and give her the right opening towards what she needed to tell her.

 

“Because… There is still a chance that it might not make it.” Shaina felt like something inside of her finally was released. She felt like she had been holding to that fear since she stayed at the hospital. She had only told Shaka as he would be the only one she thought would understand her. “I would like to think that it won’t happen, but the chance is still there.”

 

“Shaina, that won’t happen. This moment that you and Shaka are going through was meant to be. All the good, all the bad, and all that is to come. You both are meant to take this journey together.” Geist saw as her sister fixed her head on the pillow, but continued to look at her. Shaina kept her eyes on her giving her all her attention. “If you ask me, which you won’t, I think he is the man for you. Whether you think so or not, he has been there for you, and he still is. He, just like you, is trying and you both seem to have some chemistry when it comes to sex. Oh, and before you say anything to the contrary. I know it was you and Shaka out in the olive orchard.”

 

“How did you…” Shaina couldn’t finish the sentence. She knew no one had been around and those guest had only said they heard noises, but no one had seen anything.

 

“Oh please, you honestly think I thought it was Yuzuriha. If someone had said that it was in the cellars then maybe yes, but she would never have sex out in the open.” Geist said as she looked at the surprised look her twin now sported. “You both have some sex life. I think I might be a little jealous.”

 

“Shut up.” Shaina didn’t know what else to say.

 

“All sex conversation aside… I do think you two were meant to take this journey together.” Geist said as she too fixed her head on the pillow before she continued. “Try not to push him away too much. Shaka seems like a patient man, but sooner or later it will run out if you keep pushing him out of your life. Don’t lose that Shaina, don’t let yourself push away the opportunity of being in love once again.”

 

“Geist…” Shaina said as she felt her sister stroke her hair. The words her sister had said had touched a part of her heart and therefore, felt like she would cry at any moment.

 

“Hey, is this the pillow that Shaka uses?” Geist asked as she saw how her sister’s eye had gotten watery. She needed to change the subject as she never intended to make her sister cry.

 

“Yeah…” Shaina was grateful for the change in subject as it gave her a chance to keep the tears in.

 

“It smells good. What type of cologne does he use?” Geist asked as she breathed in the scent.

 

“It’s not cologne, Geist. It’s the scent of Sandalwood oil. The mala beads he uses, while he is meditating, have been soaked in sandalwood oil. He meditated last night before he went to bed.” Shaina said as she began to feel relaxed from the soothing motion of her hair being stroked.

 

 “Sandalwood… I would have never thought of it.”Geist said as she saw how Shaina's eyes were slowly closing. She was surprised to hear how her sister knew things about Shaka. It made her smile as she knew her sister was really getting to know stuff about Shaka. It made some sense since they both lived in the same house, but this was something more personal and her sister was paying attention to his details.

 

Geist continued to stroke her twin’s hair as she heard her sister's breathing became steady. Her sister had fallen asleep, and she felt some relief towards that. She wished her sister would be more open with her. She hoped that Shaina would finally be honest with her about everything she felt. This was a familiar pattern she had once seen a long time ago. Shaina had closed herself off on sharing things with her when she had dated HIM. Geist didn’t know whether it was a good thing or not. If Shaina was acting this way, it only meant that her sister had some feelings for Shaka.

 

Geist felt like crying, just for a brief moment, she had felt like she couldn’t breathe. Her emotions were going through her at that exact moment, that she had to think about what was going on with her. She needed Shaka to get closer to her sister; it would be the only way for her sister to be happy. Because if there was a thing she was sure of, it was that Shaka would make her sister happy. She knew it, she felt it, and she wished that there would be something that could make her sister understand. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that she had to accept the fact that Shaka would be in her sister’s life. She had to accept him, and she also had to accept the idea that he wouldn’t come between her relationship with her twin. There was no way for him to come between them, but, it felt like he would.

 

Out in the hallway, Shaka stood outside the room looking at the scene going on inside the bedroom. Geist was stroking her twin’s hair as Shaina seemed to be sleeping. He didn't know what to make of the scene he was seeing. He assumed that the position they were in, was something that the twins did quite often. He could see the bond that both sisters had and imagined that it was closer than any normal siblings would.

 

Geist turned to look at whoever stood out the room door and slowly got out of the bed, hoping she wouldn't wake her sister up. She quietly made her way to where Shaka was standing and stopped outside the hall where he stood.

 

“Shaina fell asleep a few minutes ago…” Geist had turned to look at her sister before even speaking to her brother-in-law. Once she had turned to look at him, she noticed the concerned look on his face and she quickly shook her head. “Don’t… She didn’t feel ill or anything like that. I think she is just tired as well as overwhelmed with taking care of Aria.”

 

“I’m guessing that Yuzuriha already brought the Play N Go crib?” Shaka asked without even looking inside the room.

 

“No, but I wouldn’t put it past her that she will bring it the first chance she gets. I think that those two are in desperate need of some alone time.” Geist smiled as she looked at the man in front of her. The same feeling that she had felt moments ago she felt once more. She knew she had to turn this around and knew that she should start helping this man out. It was the right thing to do. It was the sisterly thing to do. “Anyways, this is the perfect opportunity for you to win some brownie points with my sister and it will be my absolute pleasure to help you earn them too.”

 

Shaka looked at Geist like if she had lost her mind. In a split second the conversation had gone from Shaina being tired to Yuzuriha bring the portable crib to Geist helping him win points. He didn’t know what to say; he didn’t know what to make of it or even what his sister-in-law was planning. All he could do was stand there and hear what she had to say.

 

“Lie with her just like I was and stroke her hair, it's our form of self-soothing, if you will. That's something we've done all our lives. I doubt she will get all weird with you when she wakes up.” Geist slowed down as she felt like she might be giving too much information all at once. The look on the man’s face was somewhat proof of that. “Believe me when I say this. My sister is overwhelmed; by being around family, by the pregnancy, by Yuzuriha, take your pick. I also know that Shaina is not the easiest person to open up to just anyone. She also tends to lash out once she feels overwhelmed. That’s one of the reasons why she walked out earlier.”

 

“Why are you telling me this?” Shaka blurted out what he was thinking. He still didn't understand what the woman had in mind and to what purpose. He knew his wife was overwhelmed, and that she was two steps away from lashing out. He would hear the woman out that would be the only way to find out where this was going.

 

“Shaka, I want her to be happy...” Geist began to say, but it seemed like that was enough. She wanted to tell him that she had seen things and figured that neither one had noticed and she found it understandable in some way. It would take some time before Shaka, or Shaina, to see what she had been noticing. Her emotions were still unsteady when it came to him and her sister, but she wanted Shaina happy. Shaina deserved it, after everything she had gone through with her EX, she deserved to be with someone who would love her. In her eyes, in her thoughts, Geist knew that it was the man standing in front of her who would be able to make her sister happy. “You are growing on me, brother-in-law. It would be a shame to see you two head your separate ways around this time next year.”

 

Shaka didn’t know how to answer or what to add to his sister-in-law’s last statement. He shared the same sentiment as she did, but he felt that there needed to be a great factor for him and his wife to remain together. It had to be as great as the love they would have for their child. It would have to be respectful towards one another, and most important, love. Shaka had come to that conclusion a week or so ago. They needed to love one another to make their marriage work, and he couldn’t see it happening. HIs thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a woman calling Geist from the foot of the stairs. He heard Geist answer her aunt and turned to look inside the room. Shaina and Aria were still sound asleep.

 

“Shaka, Shaina deserves to have someone that will love her unconditionally just as much as you do. If you truly want to make it work, you will have to show her that you love her no matter what and that you will be there for her and your child.” Geist didn’t wait to hear Shaka give her a response as she knew that she would most likely not get one. She passed by him and made her way down the hall.

 

Shaka stood there looking inside the room, still trying to make sense of what had just occurred. He never expected for Geist to say something like that, let alone, leave without allowing him to respond. His sister-in-law, just like his wife, was something else. His curiosity peaked, and he wondered what Geist had seen lately that made her speak to him in such manner. He couldn't imagine what could it have been. Shaka was so deep in thought; he never noticed that he had made it to the edge of the bed where Shaina slept. Without even thinking much of it, he took off his shoes and laid in bed with her while making sure to leave enough room for Aria, who lied between them. Just as Geist had suggested, he began to stroke Shaina’s hair only to gain a sigh from her. With the simple motion he, himself, started to fall asleep as well.

 

**_((0))_ **

 

Shaka opened his eyes and realized he had fallen asleep. He checked his wristwatch to see how long he had been sleeping and saw that just an hour had passed from the time he had laid in bed. He looked down at the little girl and then at his wife, and saw that both were still sound asleep. Shaka fixed his head on the pillow before he began to stroke Shaina’s hair, he looked at his wife and couldn’t help but think how beautiful she was. With or without makeup, Shaina was beautiful. He remembered the first time he had met her in the apartment where his sister would be living during college. He recalled what she was wearing and the way she sported her hair back then. Her hair barely reached her shoulders, and she had dyed part of her hair green. The moment they had crossed words had been the tone that would set off what little interaction they would have. He remembered the look she had given him, and since then he had seen how beautiful her eyes were.

 

As he looked at the strands of her hair that he held in his hand, he wondered why it was that his wife had ever decided to color it green. The color of her hair had matched perfectly with the color of her eyes. He hadn’t meant to stare at first, but he had, and somehow she had seen that puzzled look on his face and interpreted it as something else. She had been the one to mouth off at him first, and he hadn’t restrained his mouth after that. If it weren't for Junet walking back into the living room, neither would have stopped. There had been an awkward silence as the three had stood there without saying anything for a minute or two. His wife had been the one to leave mumbling that she would buy some food for everyone. He remembered that Shaina had returned with some food and two other college friends. One of the two being who he had guessed was her boyfriend at the time. He couldn’t remember the name of the man, only that he had cherry blond hair and that he seemed a little comfortable by Shaina’s side. Time seemed to have passed by after their initial meeting since the next time he saw her she had her hair below her shoulders and no longer had it colored green. A new image of her had burned into his memory and had been used on several occasions, just like the other,  where he had needed some much-needed relief, relief that for some reason meditation didn’t help.  Shaka finally realized that he had always found her attractive, since that first time he had met her. A small part of him also wondered if she had ever found herself attracted to him or just saw him as her best friend's brother, just like he had thought of her at times, as his sister’s attractive rude best friend.

 

Shaka smiled to himself as he continued to stroke his wife’s hair. He was getting to know the woman that would become the mother of his child more and more as they would spend time together. He also saw the changes she was going through, one of those being, that she cried now. It was something he was sure she didn’t do so often. He knew she cared for their child whether she would like to admit it or not. He had seen it in those private moments when she would place her hand on her belly and how she would express herself at times. It was only a matter of time for her to give in entirely to their child. As Shaka stopped stroking her hair and moved a stand from Shaina’s eye; he realized that he had feelings for his wife. He didn’t feel like he was in love with her, at least not yet, but he had real feelings for her. He liked her more and more every day, even with her anger issues, he liked her.

 

Shaka stopped stroking her hair as soon as he saw Shaina begin to stir in her sleep. Her eyes began to open slowly, and he waited to see her expression. He was sure she was expecting to see Geist, but she didn’t seem to be surprised to see him there. Shaka let go of the strand of her hair he still held in his hand. He noticed the small smile that now adorned his wife’s lips as she looked up at him. She raised her hand up to his cheek and caressed it.

 

“Hey…” Shaina said sleepily as she ran her fingers down his cheek. She continued to smile at him as she felt glad to see him.

 

“Hey…” Shaka answered in the same low tone she had used. Without thinking, he leaned into her caress and kissed the palm on her hand.

 

“When did you get here?” Shaina asked once she had opened her eyes after he had kissed her palm. She couldn't help but like the feel of his lips on her.

 

“I got here an hour or so,” Shaka said as he continued to stroke her hair. “You and Aria were already sleeping.”

 

“We both needed a nap…” Shaina said as she drew her hand away from him and covered her mouth to suppress a yawn.

 

“Are you still sleepy?” Shaka said with a playful smile at seeing her try to shake her head and suppress another yawn. He couldn't help himself and leaned in to kiss her on her forehead. Shaka was enjoying more and more the odd moments when it seemed that they were both bonding. He soon let go of the strand of her hair and brought her closer to him and kissed her lips. His wife quickly responded to the kiss and soon felt her hand on the back of his neck.

 

“Maybe just a little…” Shaina said between kisses. Kissing this man always seemed much better than sleeping. Doing other things with this man was even better.

 

A small moan escaped from Shaina letting Shaka know that she was enjoying herself. She placed her hand on his shoulder and brought him closer to him. She wanted more physical contact with him, and she knew he wanted the same. Physical connection, that is what both of them craved at that moment and the more they kissed the more they were trying to get closer to one another. A cry coming from between the two of them brought their kissing to a halt. Shaina and Shaka looked at one another and then at the tiny little girl that was now fully awake. The room was no longer silent, and it seemed like the Aria had killed the mood, and their moment together was now over.

 

“I got her,” Shaina said as she sat up and reached over to grab the little girl. She struggled a little at first as Aria was beginning to get fussy. She couldn’t help but sigh as she knew that it would be hard to calm the little girl. Shaina was sure that Aria wanted her mother and she wanted Yuzuriha to get her daughter back as well.

 

“Your cousin brought the crib,” Shaka said once he had noticed that the Play N Go set up next to the armoire.

 

“Well, that’s great.” Shaina rolled her eyes as she stood up from the bed with Aria in her arms.

 

Shaka saw the quick change in his wife’s mood and the stress that seemed to accompany it. He worried as he assumed that the situation might not be the best for Shaina. He couldn’t help but worry after the close call they had had a couple of weeks ago

 

“Here, let me,” Shaka said as he extended his arms and took the child from his wife once he had walked up to her. He had decided to help her out at that moment, and in a way, for her to understand that she could count on him. That he would be there for her no matter what.

 

Shaina stepped back and saw how Aria had stopped fussing once he started bouncing her lightly in his arms. She had to admit that he seemed better at taking care of Aria than she had. Her lips soon curved into a smile as she saw Shaka bounding with the child. In her mind he looked like taking care of a child came naturally to him, and for some reason, it made her feel relieved and at the same time, happy. In her mind, he had managed to show her that she could lean on him whenever she needed him, and at that moment, nothing else mattered.

 

 

 


	18. Chapter 18

**_“_ ** _ They say it's what you make _ __   
_ I say it's up to fate  _ __   
_ It's woven in my soul  _ __   
_ I need to let you go  _ __   
_ Your eyes, they shine so bright  _ __   
_ I want to save their light  _ __   
_ I can't escape this now  _ _   
_ __ Unless you show me how”

**\- Imagine Dragons (Demons)**

  
  
  


**Chapter 17**

  
  


**_July 24th, 7 am_ **

  
  


Junet opened her eyes just in time to see her gorgeous Russian pulling his pants up. She was able to get a peek of his perfectly shaped butt before it was covered by the jean material. She hid her smile with the flat sheet of her bed and just continued to look at the man. Hyoga soon turned to the side table and grabbed his shirt oblivious to the fact that he was being watched. Junet just watched silently as the man standing by her bed got dressed. She was amazed at how gorgeous he looked with and without clothes, and gave herself a mental pat on the back for choosing well. She thought of the many ways she could come up with to get him back into her bed that it made her care less whether she was caught looking at him or not. Hyoga, on the other hand, was trying to be as quiet as possible. He intended to let the woman he spent the night with sleep. As he turned to check and see if she was still asleep, he was greeted with a very awake Junet. He smiled at her before bending over and kissing her.

“Good morning,” Hyoga said once their lips parted.

“Good morning.” Junet smiled once more as she looked up at him.

“I was hoping that I wouldn’t wake you,” Hyoga said as he took a seat on the edge of the bed.

“You didn’t, besides I was hoping to see you do the walk of shame.” Junet couldn’t stop smiling as he now sported a smile on his lips.

“Who said anything about feeling shame?” Hyoga leaned over and kissed her once more. He heard her laugh a little between kisses and it made him smile. He liked the sound of her laugh. “Do you feel any shame?”

“Oh, there is no shame in anything we did last night,” Junet said as she grabbed the flat sheet and pulled it a bit further up. She felt how Hyoga stopped her and even tried to take a peek. “Don’t…”

“Why? I like to see what is underneath the sheets.” Hyoga looked at the sheet covering Junet’s breast and then looked up at her. “You are very tempting.”

“Why don’t you take off your clothes and join me underneath the sheets?” Junet gave him her best seductive look. She hoped it came out the way as she knew that sometimes it didn’t look as well as she pictured herself doing it. She soon gained another kiss from Hyoga which she assumed it did translate quite well.

“I would love to get back underneath the sheets with you, but I have to go.” Hyoga moved his hand away from the sheet and kissed her once more before standing up.

“Where are you off to so early on a Sunday morning?” Junet asked as she sat up in bed. She held the sheet close, covering her naked body.

“I have enough time to get home, shower, change, and head to church.” Hyoga noticed the look Junet gave him as he had said the word church. “What?”

“You go to church?” Junet was a little surprised that he had never mentioned that he attended church on Sundays.

“Yes, I go to church.” Hyoga didn’t see the problem with that, but he guessed that Junet might have a problem with that. “You have a problem with me going to church?”

 

“No. No. No. No.” Junet didn’t have a problem with him going to church it was the fact that he had never mentioned it. Yet, she figured out now why he never had. “I don’t have a problem with it. You just never…”

 

“Sorry, I didn’t mention it before. My mother has a tendency of having us get together for church on Sundays. We even go to eat after the sermon.” Junet saw how his demeanor had changed a little bit and she figured that she was the one to blame. 

 

“It’s not a problem that you go to church at all. It just caught me off guard that’s all.” Junet got out of bed and went around to where he stood. She still held the flat sheet close to her naked body. “I think it's sweet that you and your family go to church together.” 

 

“You think it's sweet, huh?” Hyoga asked as he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her. 

 

“Yes, I think it’s sweet,” Junet said once they parted. She did find it sweet that he went to church with his family, and hoped that awkward moment from a bit ago had finally past. 

 

“Do you do anything on Sunday?” Hyoga said as he kept his arms around her waist and kissed her neck as he awaited her answer.

 

“Yes, we get together and spend most of the day at my parent's house or at my brother’s house,” Junet remembered this weekend was going to be a little different from their usual Sunday. It had changed from the moment Shaina had joined their family. There were moments just like this one that she realized that Shaina was indeed part of the Mahajan family. Junet’s mind started filling with thoughts and questions about her best friend. She completely ignored the fact that her gorgeous Russian was now kissing the other side of her neck, or that he started tugging a little on the bed sheet that she had wrapped herself on. 

 

“Junet?” Hyoga asked once he noticed that Junet hadn’t answered back. He looked up and saw that she was deep in thought and wondered if he had done anything, or if in fact, it was a problem for her that he went to church.

 

“Sorry, I completely got lost in my own head. What was it that you asked?” Junet felt a little ashamed that she had spaced out. 

 

“Nothing important really.” Hyoga smiled and kissed the tip of her nose. “I think I better go or else I won't make it in time.” 

 

“I completely understand.” Junet smiled and offered to walk him to the door. She kicked herself mentally for zoning out, and now she wished she had heard what he had said. She couldn’t do anything about it now. 

 

Junet kissed Hyoga goodbye, and he promised he would text her later. She smiled and waved goodbye before she closed and locked the door. Junet walked directly towards her kitchen and grabbed one of the coffee cups from one of the hooks. She placed it on the counter and turned on the coffee machine. She let the device do its thing while she would take a quick shower.

 

Once Junet had taken her shower and was now wearing her bathrobe instead of the flat sheet she had been wearing earlier. She poured herself some coffee in the cup she previously place on the counter and prepped it the way she liked it. She stood there for a minute or two while she stirred her coffee. Junet grabbed her coffee cup and made her way to her small living room. She sat on her couch and thought about what she could do that day. There was nothing much to do that morning, not until noon when she had to be at her parent's house. Junet turned on the TV and began watching a show about the tiny house as he drank her coffee. The show wasn’t entertaining, and she wasn’t paying much attention to it. Her mind kept going to her night with Hyoga. She had loved every minute of it.  From him taking her to play bowling, their dinner at that new pizza restaurant that she had been hearing so much about, to the night of fantastic sex. Everything from last night had been great, and she hoped that this feeling that she was experiencing would last. Junet wasn’t sure of opening her heart to Hyoga right away, she knew she was doing so little by little. She really did like him, and she hoped that he felt the same way about her. 

 

Junet thought about their night activity and was thankful that she had reminded him to use a condom. When they had arrived at the apartment, Junet had excused herself for a moment and taken her birth control pill. She needed to make sure to be safe as there was no point that both Mahajan siblings would be expecting children. Her mind soon started asking the inevitable questions. Those girly girl questions that only teenagers that were smitten with boys asked themselves. She couldn’t stop herself, and luckily her cell phone ringing had been the one to help her busy head come to a complete halt. Junet stood up and went to where she had left her phone. She figured who it would be and only smiled to herself once she saw the name displayed on the screen. She was grateful that her Dadi without knowing had kept her from her thoughts running wild. Her Dadi would never know how grateful she was for that phone call that morning. 

  
  


**_July 24th 10 am_ **

 

Marin had woken up to an empty bed that morning as Aioria had left late the previous night. They hadn’t said much to one another after the night full of passion and lust that they had. He had promised to call her before he left her apartment. Once he had left her apartment, she had gone to bed and fallen asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. She hadn’t slept so well in days as she had that night. Marin had remained in bed after she had woken up. Her mind had continued going over through everything that she had done with Aioria, that she had completely lost all sense of time. She relished in the memories of Aioria’s lips on her neck. How he slowly made his way down to the valley of her breast and had taken one of her nipples with his lips while he had caressed the other with his hand. The thought of that feeling along had aroused her, and she did the only thing she could do at that moment. She had reached over to her nightstand and had taken out her vibrator from the drawer and pleasured herself. 

 

After making herself orgasm twice, Marin had finally gotten out of bed and had made her way into the bathroom. She took her time, as it was Sunday and she had nothing important pending that day. Once out of the shower, and dried, Marin made her way into her bedroom and straight to her nightstand. She picked up her phone and went through her emails, and text messages, and Snapchat. It was Sunday after all, and she was hoping to see something from her friends. Marin looked at the pictures that Geist and Junet had posted. Geist’s snaps consisted mostly of Shaina trying to handle a little girl. There was even a couple of clips where Shaka and Shaina seemed as if they were acting more like the parents of that little girl. It brought a smile to Marin’s lips as she thought of the fact that her friend would be like that in only a matter of months. She couldn’t wait. 

 

Marin began to look at the snaps that Junet had posted and they all seemed to be of her bowling with her date. She had to admit that the guy her friend was dating was handsome, it made her smile even more at seeing the captions that Junet wrote on almost every single snap. Marin soon checked her Instagram to see if there were any other pictures or videos that her friends had posted. Her lips soon turned into a smile as the picture she saw was of Shaina posing for her weekly pregnancy update. Her friend wore the same dress as she always had, but in this picture, she could finally see that her belly was showing even more. Marin quickly saved the image and went on to compare it with the two previous ones. There was no denying it, Shaina was showing quite a bit now. She could also tell that the half smile Shaina was sporting in the picture was fake. That alone made Marin laugh, knowing well that Shaina had put up a fight when it came to taking the picture. She quickly posted a comment on the post. She wrote something that she knew would catch the twins attention, as well as make them laugh. Well, at least it would be one of the twins that would laugh; hopefully, she would get Shaina to do the same. 

 

Once Marin was done catching up, she had gotten dressed and had made her way to the kitchen. She kept on talking herself out of eating something, as Asterion had texted her apologizing for not being able to make it last night. He had decided to make it up to her by treating her to brunch and some dessert. Marin accepted almost immediately after she read the message, without mentioning the fact that she hadn’t made it to the place where they were going to meet. She hadn’t even made it to the middle of the lobby as Aioria had been waiting for her near the elevator. Marin shook away all though and decided to grab her purse and make her way to the cafe. The more she would spend time in her small kitchen, the more tempted she would be at getting something to eat. 

 

Marin locked her door and made her way down the hall. She stood in front of the elevator doors, patiently, waiting for it to arrive. The usual bell dinged before the doors opened. Marin made her way inside, and as she was about to push the button to the lobby, she heard a familiar voice telling her to hold the door. Marin didn’t even think twice and pressed the button for the doors to remain open. A few seconds later her next-door neighbor, an older woman that went by the nickname Mitzi, walking into the elevator. The older woman smiled brightly at Marin before leaning her back against the elevator door. Marin greeted the woman and turned towards the doors as they were closing. It was a matter of seconds before Mitzi cleared her throat and addressed Marin. 

 

“How are you dear?” Mitzi asked as she saw Marin turned to look at her.

 

“I’m fine Ms. Mitzi, and you?” Marin gave her full attention to the older woman. The last thing she wanted to do was to be rude to one of her best customers. 

 

“Fine, dear, I’m fine. A little worried about you, that’s all.” Mitzi noticed the look on Marin’s face as she looked at her not knowing well why she would be worried. “I heard a lot of noise coming from your apartment last night. At first, I thought it was the television. You know how sometimes I have it a little too loud, but when I turned the volume down, I figured the noise was coming from your apartment. I could have sworn I even heard something break.”

 

Marin looked at the older woman and managed to keep her composure. She hadn’t thought of how loud they had been, but she did remember how she had tossed her keys on the bowl and both falling to the floor making a loud noise. Luckily, the bowel hadn’t broken and had quickly picked it up before they continued ravishing on another. She never thought other people might hear the moans and screams, but there was only one thing to do at the moment. Deny, deny, deny…

 

“Sorry, Ms. Mitzi, I didn’t figure I had the volume up so high. I had a friend over last night, and we decided to watch a movie.” Marin kept an apologetic look on her face and hoped that the older woman would believe her excuse. 

 

“I figured as much. That's why I didn’t even bother to go check on you.” The older woman smiled brightly, relieved that her neighbor was alright and nothing bad had happened. “I’m glad to know that you are okay dear. Oh, and, don’t forget my order of cookies for this coming Thursday. The girls and I are having our book club meeting in my apartment.”

 

“Six o’clock, is that correct?” Marin asked thankful that the attention of her ‘movie night’ was replaced by another topic.

 

“Yes, but if you could come fifteen minutes before. That way it gives you some time to set them up.” Mitzi said as she exited the elevator once the doors opened. 

 

“Yes, of course.” Marin waited until Mitzi was out so that she could exit the elevator as well. She kept her distance from the woman until they reached the main doors where the doorman was already holding the door open for them. 

 

“Don’t forget dear, five forty-five, on Thursday,” Mitzi said before she headed in the opposite direction Marin was heading.

 

“I won’t Ms. Mitzi,” Marin said as she turned on her heel and began to head in the opposite direction. 

 

Marin quickened her step until she crossed the street and turned to see that the woman was out of sight. There was no telling if she would bump into the older woman later, but she hoped that it wasn’t until Thursday. She had no idea what else that woman would ask her, or what she had heard, but she had an idea. Marin shook her head and just continued walking. She would set aside all thoughts of that topic for another moment. For now, all she wanted to do was think of all the excellent food she would get to eat, along with good company. 

  
  


**_July 24th 7 pm_ **

 

Annalisa thanked her grandchildren for the lovely gift that they had put together for her. Sage, Hakurei, and Celintha had individually given their mother their birthday gift. Annalisa was happy to have her entire family together under the same roof. She hoped that every year it could be the same; there was nothing more she wanted than to have her family gathered for her birthday. The older woman looked at all the family members sitting around the table and smiled to herself. She smiled to herself as she saw that Violate didn’t seem to be in such a bad mood as she had been the day before. Aiacos had arrived midday, and it appeared that he and her granddaughter had been talking most of the time. Annalisa knew that those two couldn’t be apart or stay mad at one another for long periods of time. They were the type of couple that one couldn’t live without the other. Whatever the couple was going through they would manage to overcome it. 

 

Annalisa’s attention went from Violate and Aiacos to Yuzuriha and Yato. Mentally, she shook her head as she knew that sooner or later those two would be announcing baby number five. No, Yuzuriha wasn’t pregnant, yet, but she knew her granddaughter was one of the most fertile women she had ever known. There was no doubt in her mind that another baby announcement will be in their near future. Annalisa turned her attention towards her grandson’s and knew that there wasn’t much there she could nip pick. Tokusa was still a little obnoxious at times, but he was a good man. He had also picked out a good woman, and for that she was grateful. Tokusa’s wife seemed to be the perfect person for him. Manigoldo was always the most serious of the three grandson’s. He was so much like his father that it didn’t surprise her that he had been more careful with having more children. Mii had voiced out from time to time that she wanted to have another child, and once she had found out that Shaina was expecting, she had voiced it out even more. As for Angelo, that man didn’t want any more children as he and his wife both came from large families. Both were content with the only one they had, and she couldn’t help but smile at that. Helena’s siblings would visit from time to time, and she could see how Angelo and Helena would be overwhelmed with both families. The older woman's attention moved from her grandsons to her twin granddaughters. Shaina was slowly building a family of her own, and she was sure that this wouldn’t be the only child she would be having. She had heard her a couple of times saying that this would be the only child she would be having, but she didn’t believe that. Only time would tell how long it would take until they would be announcing their second child after they would have their first. 

 

The last one Annalisa’s attention went towards was Geist, her youngest granddaughter, aside from Shaina. She knew her granddaughter was a little on the wild side, just like Shaina was at some point, but Geist always seemed to be slightly more. She was the one that looked more like Sage’s first wife. Same hair color, same eye color and there were times when she could hear the same tone in laughter. She understood why Geist was the one to have more of a connection towards her mother than Shaina had. She realized it more now than she had years ago. All in all, Annalisa felt content, no matter the drama, no matter everything that was going on in her family’s lives. They had all come together to celebrate her, and she would always be grateful for that. 

 

The older woman soon thanked everyone once more before she retired for the evening. It was still early for her, but she wanted to spend some time on her own. She was grateful for her family being there, but there was one person she missed dearly. This, after all, was the third birthday she would spend without her beloved husband by her side. The older woman stood up and smiled at her family as her hand instinctively went to the oval-shaped locket that hung around her neck. She wanted to spend the last hours of her birthday reminiscing. As she made her way down the dining table, she stopped behind every single one of her family membership hug them, kissed them and thank them personally. She would whisper words of love to each and everyone. When it came time for Annalisa to hug Shaka, she took her time and stood in front of him. There was still so much she needed to know from this young man, but she knew that there will be plenty of time. She whispered a simple thank you and reminded him that they still had a conversation pending between the two. Shaka gave a slight nod as the woman stood in front of him. The last person Annalisa hugged was Aphrodite, and even if the man was not her grandson by blood, she still loved him very much. He had become part of the Rinaldi family since the first time Theia had visited the villa as Sage’s new assistant. Aphrodite was a quiet and shy boy, but after the boy made friends with the Rinaldi boys, he had become more and more like them. Annalisa smiled at Aphrodite and told him that she couldn’t wait for him to give her great grandbabies, to which Aphrodite smiled brightly and reassured her that he would, someday. 

 

Annalisa said goodnight to everyone and left the room where everything had been set for the dinner. Sage, Hakurah, and Celintha along with their spouses followed suit a short while after the matriarch had left. The majority of the children were being taken care of in another part of the villa where they would be playing and having their dinner, making it more relaxing for the adults. Yuzuriha soon asked for more wine bottles to be served, along with water and some more dessert and fruit. If there was one thing the Rinaldi children liked the most, it was their downtime. Their conversation would always be random, sometimes even uncomfortable and there was always indiscretions being tossed around. 

 

“Well, I have to hand it to you, sis. You sure know how to throw a party.” Tokusa said, without surprising the others as he was the first one to speak. 

 

“Thank you. I keep trying to convince Geist to come and work as an event coordinator here at the villa. It would be much better if there were two coordinators instead of one.” Yuzuriha tried to put Geist on the spot in front of everyone. She hoped that this would give her leverage and Geist would actually feel pressured into finally giving in to her endless request. 

 

“That would be a great idea,” Mii spoke up without catching on to what Yuzuriha was trying to do. 

 

“I can’t. Remember, I will be the coordinator for the winery back home. I can’t do that and then be here.” Geist said before taking a sip of her wine. She knew what her cousin was trying to do and she had already lost count on how many times she had turned her down. 

 

“When are we opening the doors to the winery in the states?” Erda asked looking at her husband.

 

“We are officially opening the doors to the public late March. There is a large interest already as it is, but we decided that next year would be best.” Tokusa explained to the entire group. It didn’t matter whether certain family members had other jobs outside out of the winery business. Everyone had an equal share in the business, and everyone had a say in the matter. “Shaina already emailed me several things to look into. She has been handling some of the things that will be needed, as well as, some of the clients who are ready for our door to officially open.”

 

“Violate, has been handling the renovations to the part of the building that needed it, and will be taking care of the interior decor,” Helena spoke up as she was the one that kept tabs on what every single one of the family members was responsible for. 

 

“I’ve been sending Helena some of the sketches I’ve drawn up, as well, as some of the ideas I have for the furniture.” Violate said as she made eye contact with some members of the group. She had decided not to say that there was a possibility that she would no longer be able to finish the remodeling seeing as she might be moving.

 

Shaka listened closely as all the Rinaldi grandchildren spoke in regards to the winery that would soon be open to the public. He didn’t know that Shaina worked for the winery as well as her regular job.  There were times when Shaina would be in her home office working, but he always thought it was her regular job and not something else. He heard how his wife talked to the group about some of the clients she had spoken a few days before their trip. A part of him was impressed by how she spoke. He hadn’t seen the professional side of her, and he was beginning to get slightly turned on by it. The way she talked, the tone she used, and the way she lightly ran her hand down her small pregnant belly. He realized that she was doing it without really paying attention to what she was doing. Shaka smiled to himself. He wondered how long it would take her for her to actually realize what she was doing. 

 

The conversation regarding the opening of the winery continued for some time until Helena was the one that directed the conversation toward another subject. The woman was also part of the winery as the majority of the Rinaldi were, but she didn’t want to talk about it all the time. The conversation would have continued long into the night if she hadn’t put a stop to it. 

 

“So Geist, when are you going to bring someone home for the family to meet?” Helena asked as she took her glass from the table. She looked at the young woman and waited for her to answer. 

 

“Oh, you know me. It will be a long time before I actually think of settling down.” Geist smirked at her cousin’s wife before she took a sip of her wine. 

 

“How about you Aphrodite? When are you finally bringing someone to meet the family?” Helena asked as she set her glass back on the table.

 

“Your kidding, right?” Aphrodite looked at the woman that he considered more than a sister-in-law. He hadn’t thought of settling down with anyone at this time, but he knew that he would like to do it soon while he was still young and would have kids with the person he would settle down. “With how all you are with newcomer there is no way she would want to marry me. I think if I ever would, I would do the same thing Shaina did and just bring the lucky one over after she has become my wife.”

 

“I don’t think you would want to do the same thing Shaina did,” Geist said gaining looks from several people sitting around the table. She quickly reminded herself that only her brother and Violate knew the truth about Shaina’s marriage. “Shaina and Shaka decided to have a gunshot wedding. I don’t see you doing the same thing she did.”

 

“Well, it really isn’t such a bad idea,” Tokusa added himself to the conversation. He gained a look from his wife and smiled at her. “Hear me out first before you give me that look. Think of it this way, no long church sermon, you save money on food and drinks…”

 

“But then you wouldn’t have your first dance together as man and wife.” Mii interrupted. She loved weddings and would always try to help Yuzuriha when there was going to be a wedding in the Villa. 

 

“Or the beautiful wedding gown,” Helena added herself to the conversation as well. 

 

“Why didn’t you just wait for the big wedding, Shaina? We would have loved to help you out with all the wedding details.” Erda asked as she looked at Shaina who was now busying herself with the piece of cake on her plate. 

 

“You know that I am not a fan of big weddings,” Shaina said after she had swallowed the small piece of cake that she had put in her mouth. 

 

“I thought you did?” Mii asked her sister-in-law as she once remembered Shaina and Geist talking about having the big wedding with the big dress. “If memory serves me correctly, didn’t you and Geist wanted to get married at the same time?”

 

“Oh my gosh, I had forgotten about that.” Violate joined the conversation as she had heard what Mii had said. She remembered how the twins would talk about the type of wedding they would have. She had to share with everyone the things she remembered about the girls without going too far. “I remember how Geist and Shaina use to sit for hours looking at the bridal magazines and they would actually bend the corner of the pages for their future wedding.”

 

“I remember that,” Yuzuriha said as she recalled both girls talking about who they would marry and how many kids they would be having. “I think Geist had said she would marry Josh Hartnett.”

 

“Wasn’t it Ashton Kutcher?” Mii thought out loud as she remembered vaguely. She didn’t spend as much time around the Rinaldi girls at that time because she was busy studying at the university. 

 

“It was both, actually,” Geist smirked at the group as she took her glass of wine once more. “Shaina used to like Tom Welling.”

 

“What can I say? I was attracted to young Superman.” Shaina smiled as she turned to look at Shaka who was now looking at her. She shook her head while still sporting a smile on her lips. “I was a teenager, and at that time I didn’t know any better.”

 

“We were dumb teenagers that wanted the whole Cinderella wedding,” Geist said once she placed her glass back on the table and got close to her sister. “You know, at the time, I thought that I was going to marry Jabu.”

 

“Jabu? Who is, or was Jabu?” Tokusa asked now interested about the man his cousin had dated and never heard of. 

 

“Don’t ask,” Manigoldo told his cousin as he felt annoyed just by hearing the name of the first guy his sister had officially dated. 

 

“I already did.” Tokusa pointed out the obvious and waited for someone, in this case, Geist, to answer his question. 

 

“He was this cocky jock that Geist dated in high school,” Shaina answered while placing a hand on her belly.

 

“Well, he was cocky in more ways than one,” Geist smirked once more as some of the group just shook their heads. 

 

“You need to settle down once and for all,” Yuzuriha said as she looked at her cousin. She quickly turned to look at the only other person that was single. “Aphrodite would you be willing to finally take Geist off the market?”

 

“All in the family,” Tokusa said with a smile on his lips. “I don’t think Mii or Manigoldo would mind.”

 

“I think the better question would be if Aphrodite would mind.” Violate said looking at the man she had named. 

 

“I would mind,” Geist spoke up before taking a sip of her glass. She was feeling the familiar sensation of the alcohol setting in her system. Her head wasn’t feeling fuzzy, but she knew that she would soon get to that point. She had lost count of how many times she had refilled her glass. 

 

“Hey, Aphrodite is not a bad guy. He might be a little egocentric, and sure, he spends a lot of money on hair products and clothing, and he has more pair of shoes....” Mii was interrupted by her brother/cousin who soon tried to say something in his defense, but she just continued. “I don’t think I have ever seen a man own so many shoes. I think he owns more than I do.”

 

“I like Italian leather shoes, you can’t blame me for that.” Aphrodite shrugged and smiled at Mii, his cousin. They had both grown up together since they were little kids. They were both so close that they acted more like siblings than cousins. 

 

“Don’t get me wrong Aphrodite, I like you, but I don’t like you in that way,” Geist said after she finished topping off her glass of wine once more. “Sorry, everyone there won't be a wedding for me any time soon. I do on the other hand have auntie duties now, and they will be taking up my time even more once this little girl finally makes an appearance in January.”

 

Geist placed a hand on her sister's belly and smiled at her sister. She knew that Shaina wouldn’t approve so much that sort of action, but it didn’t matter. She couldn’t wait to see that baby come January. She noticed that she had gained questionable looks as well as towards his sister.

 

“It’s a girl?” Mii said as she looked from Geist to Shaina. 

 

“When did you find out?” Violate asked as she too joined in.

 

“Wait, aren’t you a little too early to know what it is?” Helena also added.

 

“I just turned sixteen weeks,” Shaina said as she rubbed the side of her belly as it began to itch. 

 

“So what’s with the whole little girl thing?” Erda asked as she had caught the conversation once she had came back to her place at the table.

 

“Because my dear Erda, I know it’s going to be a little girl.” Geist winked at the Erda and then turned to look at her sister with a smile on her face. 

 

“Twin's intuition?” Violate asked her cousin as she knew well that soon the betting would begin. 

 

“You can say that…” Geist smiled once more as she knew she was taking things a little too far but she genuinely wanted another niece. She always liked taking care of Nadia and enjoyed going shopping for dresses and shoes for her.  

 

“Shaka and Shaina, what do you think you're having?” Mii asked leaning into Manigoldo as she waited for the answer.

 

Shaina and Shaka looked at one another as neither one knew what the other wished they had. After all, it was rare that they would actually talk about the baby that was on the way. Shaina was still in the stage that it was a child, while Shaka had wholeheartedly accepted that it was their child. They both continued to look at one another as if trying to read each other's thoughts, but it was more than evident that neither one had a clue. 

 

Violate noticed that small pause, as well as Geist, did. Both women couldn’t help but shake their heads mentally as they figured out that the couple hadn’t made much progress when it came to their child. Violate took out her phone and opened the notepad app. It was time to come up with something to take the attention of the clueless couple. She looked up to Geist and noticed that the other woman had caught on to what she was up to and decided to proceed with averting the attention to another area. 

 

“Before either one of you two answers that question. I think it's the perfect time to start placing bets on when Shaina  will give birth and what is it that they will be having.” Violate said as she addressed the group, but didn’t remove her eyes from her cousin. She mentally rolled her eyes as she saw the relief look on Shaina’s face. It was clear that she and Geist had to intervene somehow and make those two finally address the child that was on the way. Violate, and Geist began typing every single person's name on their phone and looked up once they were done. “Alright, who wants to go first?”

 

“Wait, wait, wait…” Tokusa said as he sat up on his seat and addressed the group. “Aren’t we going to do this for money?”

 

“Money? We’re not going to bet any money on Shaina’s due date.” Erda spoke up as she lightly slapped her husband’s shoulder. 

 

“We did it with Yuzuriha, Erda, Mii, and you did it to me. I don’t think that Shaka and Shaka would like for us to do this. We don’t know if Shaka’s family would be into this game.” Helena said as she sat up straight on her seat and grabbed her glass of wine. 

 

“Speaking of Shaka’s family. When will we get to meet them all?” Erda asked as she knew several of the Rinaldi members were interested in meeting the man’s family as well. “We didn’t get an engagement party or a wedding, so when will we get to meet them?”

 

“I think we should set up a small wedding ceremony. You two could recite your vows again in front of family members and close friends; it would still be kept as an intimate event.” Yuzuriha said as she already started planning the event in her head. She had to think of everything that would be needed and where would it take place. “We can make the small ceremony at the winery. I know it's not completely finished, but we could still have it there.”

 

“Oh, that would be great. We would need to do it soon, though, unless you are okay with being further along in your pregnancy, Shaina?” Mii joined in the conversation. She was excited about planning and being part of one of the twin's wedding. 

 

“I don’t…” Shaina tried to add herself into the conversation, but it was impossible to get a word in as the women at the table continued to make plans without her or Shaka’s input. She looked from one woman to the other and turned to look at Shaka to see what his expression was. She met his eyes and said nothing, as he too was finding it difficult to take it all in. 

 

“I think we shouldn’t go as further as four weeks. Shaina will be showing too much, and I don’t think she would like how the pictures would turn out.” Erda tried to be reasonable as she had noticed how self-conscious Shaina had been acting last night. 

 

“Well, there some pregnant brides that look amazing in their wedding dress,” Helena said as she took out her phone and began looking through Pinterest. 

 

“I think we should take into consideration that it will start getting cooler back in the states. Plus, it would be more like a vow renewal than a wedding.” Mii had also taken out her phone and began to look at the latest pictures that Violate had sent her from the winery. Once she found the picture, she looked up to direct her attention to the person she needed to speak to. “Violate, do you think that the vow ceremony and dinner could be held in the restaurant part of the winery? I know you said in your last email that it still needs a few things to be ready.”

 

“I think it's doable. It will all depend on when it is that Shaina and Shaka would like to do it.” Violate caught herself right away as she noticed that she had gotten herself involved in all the wedding chatter. She knew that Shaina wasn’t really much for wanting to do the whole wedding thing. She soon noticed the look that Shaina and even Geist were giving her and knew that she had messed up. “I think we are getting ahead of ourselves.”

 

“I agree.” Shaina and Geist answered in unison. 

 

“But why?” Mii asked oblivious to the look she was getting from her husband and both sister-in-law.

 

“We need to set up something for all the Rinaldi and Mahajan to finally get together. We are all family now.” Yuzuriha said before she noticed that her mother was coming over with a teary-eyed Aria in her arms. She quickly stood up, leaving the rest of the group to talk while she would take care of Aria. 

 

“Yuzuriha has a point. We all need to get together and get to know one another. There is a baby on the way, and I’m sure it won't be the only one.” Mii said once Yuzuriha had sat back in her chair. 

 

Shaina was close to spitting out the water she had in her mouth at the last statement her sister-in-law had made. She wasn’t the only person that had stated that since she had arrived and she was sure to hear it throughout the rest of her stay, but it was definitely getting old. Yet, she hated the fact that it still caught her by surprise since the statement was made at random moments. Shaina was sure that she had enough when it came to her being the main topic of the conversation, and she was ready to make that loud and clear. To her luck, at that very moment, Yuzuriha had placed a now quiet Aria on her lap and told her to take the little girl. Her cousin didn’t give her much time to protest as she had left back to her seat as soon as she had placed the little girl on her lap. Shaina felt like she had no choice in the matter, with the child, with the merging of the families, or with arguing her point of view. 

 

“I think we could leave the whole planning a dinner with the Mahajan’s for another day. There is so much that would need to be looked into with said family as well as with Shaka and Shaina’s work schedule. If you all remember Shaina does some traveling during the year.” Violate said as she had seen the look on her cousin’s features. It had been quick, but she had seen how this was just getting out of hand. “Why don’t we start with picking what day Shaina will give birth. I’m sure Shaka and Shaina will let Shaka’s family know what we are doing so they could join in.”

 

“You have a point Violate. Let me pull out my notepad app once more so we could start placing our bet.” Helena said as she too thought that this entire thing was getting out of hand. It was true that they needed to plan the family dinner, but there was more they needed to look into before they would even begin to make any plans. 

 

The question of Shaina’s due date came up and every woman at that table that had bared a child had different input. The men on the other hand just listened to them and began making jokes here and there. As for Shaina, she was slightly relieved that the dinner conversation had stopped. There was a lot that she and Shaka needed to talk about before that dinner would take place. Her family was a large group and would overwhelm just about anyone, but they also could easily find out the truth about their marriage. From time to time, Shaina had been looking at Shaka to see if he would give any sort of reaction. It didn’t surprise her that now he was joining in on the conversation. He never did answer the question of what gender he preferred, and neither had she, but the way he had been helping her with Aria. She could see that he would like it if they ended up having a little girl. 

  
  


**_July 25th 3 am_ **

 

Shaina sat in bed, carefully eying the Play N Go, where Aria slept. This had been the third time that the little girl had woken her up during the night. Shaina’s eyes were slowly closing but quickly opened them as she thought she had heard Aria wake. Shaina slowly got out of bed, carefully not to disturb Shaka, and made her way to the Play N Go. She tried not to make any sound. Aria was sound asleep, and Shaina ended up releasing a breath of relief afterward. She stood there for a minute or two to make sure that the little girl wouldn’t stir in her sleep before she made her way back in bed. 

 

‘I don’t think I’ll sleep much tonight.’ Shaina thought to herself as she eyed where the little girl slept. 

 

Shaina remained sitting up in bed while she pulled the thin sheets over her legs. She turned her head to check if Shaka was sleeping and a part of her was glad that he hadn’t woken up. The other part of her was upset because she was the only one that was awake in that bedroom. Her mind quickly began to work, and all sorts of thoughts came up. She questioned a lot of them. One, in particular, continued to come up. Without thinking for one more second, Shaina grabbed her phone from the nightstand and opened her calendar app. She sighed as she saw that by this time next year the child would be six months old, almost as old as Aria was at that moment. She figured that after the separation this would be pretty much her life. Getting up to an empty bed to take care of the child that she would be bringing into this world. 

 

‘I’ll be doing this alone.’ Shaina said in a whisper as she thought of how lonely and unsure the future looked. She felt gloomy and for a moment on the verge of crying. A tear soon ran down her cheek, and she began to sniffle. 

 

The thought of being alone, just her and the child, had hurt her. There was no other way to explain how she felt at that moment. Shaina wiped away a couple of tears and figured her pregnancy hormones had kicked in again. She knew that all the emotions she was feeling had been brought on by her hormones going all crazy and the lack of sleep. Yet, she still had that feeling of loneliness in her. The thought of being alone around this time next year had made her feel hurt. 

 

“Shaina?” Shaka said groggily as he turned to look at his wife. “What’s wrong?”

 

“Nothing…” Shaina whispered as she tried to wipe the tears away before he would see her. 

 

“Something is definitely wrong.” Shaka sat up in bed. He caressed her arms as a way for her to turn and look at him, but it hadn’t worked. He knew something was wrong with her as he saw how she turned her head away from him not to see that she had been crying. 

 

Shaka turned on his side and placed a hand on her cheek. He motioned slowly for her to turn her face towards him, and once she had done that, he saw a tear run down her face. With the back of his finger, Shaka wiped away the tear and felt concern. 

 

“Shaina, what's wrong?” He asked once more as he tried for her to look at him. 

 

“It’s nothing really, I just need sleep. Aria keeps waking up and I know you said to wake you, but I can’t do that because she is my responsibility.” Shaina couldn’t tell him what she had been really crying about, even if all she said was partially true with her state of being. There was no reason to tell the man that would be her ex-husband that part of her was afraid of doing all this on her own. 

 

Shaka listened to what his wife was saying and turned to look where the little girl slept. He turned his head towards his wife before getting up and heading over to the Play N Go. He observed the little girl sleeping, not moving or fuzzing, just sleeping. Shaka didn’t think the little girl would wake up anytime soon and made his way back to the bed. He sat back in bed before fixing his pillow and the bed sheets. He knew what he had to do and there was no way that Shaina would stop him. 

 

Shaka motioned for Shaina to lay back in bed and even helped her get comfortable. Once they were both settled back in bed, Shaka encouraged Shaina to rest her head on his chest. He ran his hand down her hair, and with the other, he held her close to him. He kissed the top of her head as he felt how she began to relax in his arms. 

 

“I will get up the next time Aria wakes up.” He said in a soft whisper. 

 

“No…” Shaina answered back in the same manner. There was no way she would let him do that. She kept telling herself that it was her responsibility and that she also needed to get used to the fact that she would be alone one day. 

 

“I will be getting up the next time, and that is final.” Shaka softly whispered into Shaina’s hair before kissing her head once more. 

 

“Shaka, I said no.” Shaina slowly moved her head up to look up at her husband. “Yuzuriha suckered me into taking care of Aria, and I will do just that. You have nothing to do with…”

 

Those were the last words that Shaina was able to say as Shaka had leaned forward and kissed her. Shaka felt how her body soon relaxed and molded into his. He slowly moved to his side without breaking the kiss. Neither one hurried the kiss. It was soft, delicate, and filled with passion. Something that neither one of them was noticing. For Shaka, the kiss had been a way to distract her, a way to quiet her, and her mind. That was the initial thought of his actions, but now it seemed more different. He was enjoying this moment with her. He had been enjoying the way they acted with one another, the way they seemed to be bonding in some way, and the way she seemed to be so comfortable with him. All he could think of was how much he was enjoying this. He liked her, as a woman, as the mother of his child, and as his wife. He truly liked her. 

 

Shaina moved the hand that she had placed on his chest up towards his neck. She laid on her back in bed bringing him with her. Both of them fixed themselves in bed, making sure that they were all comfortable and that the baby bump wasn't harmed in any way. The sound of their kisses was loud enough only for their ears. Their hands explored each other's body as if it was something new for them. Shaina was enjoying herself a little too much. All thoughts, all uncertain feelings she had felt a few minutes ago had left her. She gave him credit for stopping her mind from running wild, but she would never tell him. 

 

The soft sound of sobbing soon came from the Play N Go bringing the couple’s make out session to a complete stop. Shaka and Shaina looked at one another without saying anything, Both stayed quiet, hoping that if they remained quiet, the little girl would go back to sleep. The sobbing became louder and louder. Shaka moved painfully slow away from Shaina. 

 

“I’ll get up,” Shaina said as she pulled down the bed sheet and began to sit up in bed. 

 

“No, let me.” Shaka stopped her before sitting up in bed and making his way to the Play N Go. 

 

Shaina moved a little in bed, just enough to get a better look at her husband. She saw how he picked Aria up and brought the little girl close to his chest. Aria’s sobs become soft again as Shaka cradle her in his arms. Shaka sat on the bed and tried to soothe the little girl. Shaina just observed quietly as Shaka took care of Aria. She fixed her self in bed and laid her head in a position where she could be comfortable and that she could still see the two. Shaka made sure that the little girl in his arms was comfortable. He rubbed Aria’s back, comforting her, also trying to get her to fall asleep. 

 

Shaina observed in complete silence how her husband cared for Aria. He seemed so comfortable, so natural with what he was doing. The entire day that she had tried to care for Aria, he had shown her that he wanted to help, and no matter what had happened after the incident in the morning, he had been there. Shaina couldn’t help but enjoy what she was seeing. Not only was this man excellent with kids, but he seemed to have the gift of soothing Aria. She had spent more time with the little girl and had a hard time getting her to take a nap, but she had been successful in the end. It was nothing like what she saw now, and what she had seen before. Shaka indeed had a knack for taking care of Aria. He had also shown great patience when it came to the other children. All the questions they had asked him and all the activities that they had invited him to join in. Shaka had made quite an impression with the Rinaldi; he had made an impression on her.

 

As that thought had appeared in her head, Shaina knew that something had changed. She no longer was looking at him as the man that she was stuck with. She was now looking at him as a man - a man that is good with children, a man that had taken every single lousy joke her brothers and cousins had come up with, and most of all, a man that wanted to help her. Shaina just continued to look at the man that she called her husband and smiled. Deep inside, she hoped that this would be one of many times that she would see the man she called her husband looked the way he did just now. 

 

Shaka glanced over to where his wife was and noticed that she was observing him. He saw how she mouth the word ‘thank you,’ and a lovely smile appeared on her lips. A movement made from the little girl brought his attention to the task at hand. He did everything he could to make sure that the little girl would fall asleep. It took him a good twenty minutes, but he had been successful in getting Aria to sleep. Shaka had glanced a couple of times towards his wife and every single time he had seen that she kept her full attention on him. There was never any words said between them as they both tried to make the least noise. Shaka turned to look at his wife once more but found that Shaina had fallen asleep. He couldn't help but smile at the sight. Shaina, as well as Aria, were sound asleep. He was the last man standing of their small group of three and that thought alone made him smile even more. 

 

Shaka remained in the same position for a few more minutes, debating whether to take Aria back to the Play N Go or to make room for her in the bed. As he thought about it, the better part of him figured that Aria might sleep for a longer time with them in bed than in Play N Go. Shaka began to make room for the little girl between him and Shaina. Yes, the bed was smaller than the one they were used to sleeping in, but it would work for them. He stood up with the child in his arms and went to the made-up crib and grabbed the pillow that was inside. Without wasting any time at all, Shaka managed to fix a spot between Shaina and him for Aria to sleep in. He made sure that the little girl's feet wouldn't be anywhere near Shaina’s protruding belly. He didn't want anything happening to their child or to Shaina. Once he was sure that everything was as it should, Shaka, made himself comfortable. He remained awake for some time, and that gave him the opportunity for him to think. The peaceful look in his wife’s face, followed by the sleeping child that slept between them, brought a smile to his lips. Shaka remembered the words that his grandmother had shared with him. He recalled the conversation that he had with his mother and the advice that his father had given him. Every single word that some of the most important people in his life, he had taken to heart. He cherished every single piece of wisdom he would receive. 

 

The final thoughts that were going through his mind before sleep finally settled in were him reminding himself that he would do whatever it took to make it work. He wanted things to work out between him and Shaina. Taking care of Aria that day had shown a different light to how things might be between them. Most of all, it gave him a view into a future where he and Shaina might end up having more than one child. The thought alone made him feel hopeful, but most of all excited at the possibility. He liked the woman he was in bed with, and he would do whatever it took to show her that she can count on him. As his eyes began to close and all thoughts slowly faded, a new feeling inside of him began to bear fruit. 

 


	19. Chapter 19

_“Every day the choices you make_

_Say what you are and who_

_Your heart beats for_

_It’s an open door”_

**\- Francesca Battistelli (It’s Your Life)**

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Chapter 19**

 

**_ July 25, 8 am _ **

 

Geist stood outside the door of the room where her twin was staying. It was already eight in the morning and breakfast was being served. Geist had made her way to the kitchen half an hour ago and had already drunk her first cup of coffee. She figured that she would do that before Shaina would make it downstairs. She wanted to continue showing her sister solidarity, but her body craved coffee and Shaina wasn’t able to drink any. After gossiping with her cousins and aunt, Celintha asked her to let her sister know that breakfast was ready.

 

Geist knocked on the door a couple of times and waited for her sister to tell her to come in. There was no sound coming from the other side of the door, so she knocked once more. She tried once more after the last and still no response from the other side of the door. Geist opened the door slowly. She silently prayed that she would not end up seeing her sister and her brother-in-law naked, in bed, having sex. She closed her eyes before entering the room and called out to her sister just in case, but there was still no response. She opened one of her eyes slowly and then the other. The sight in front of her made her want to laugh, just a little. Aria was sitting in bed between Shaina and Shaka, holding the empty bottle that at some point in the night she had drunk.

 

Geist took a couple of steps forward, then a couple more until she reached the end of the bed. The little girl looked up at Geist as she continued to hold her bottle. Shaina and Shaka seemed to be sleeping deeply that no sound would wake them. A smirk appeared on her lips as she figured that the little girl had given them a hard time. Without trying to laugh at her thoughts of how a small child of eight months of age, had gotten the best out of two adults. Geist got closer to the bed and took out her phone from her back pocket. She smiled to herself as Aria looked up at her and smiled at her. Geist bit her lip as she tried not to laugh; the pictures and the little girl’s actions were making it harder and hard. It was a moment that needed to be snapped and shared.

 

 

After the fourth picture, Geist had to see politico herself. She got closer to the bed, on the side where her sister slept, and reached over to take Aria in her arms without waking her twin up. Once the little girl was in her arms, Geist tried to make her escape as fast, and as quietly as possible.

 

“You sure gave them a run for their money, Aria,” Geist said to the little girl after she had closed the door to her twin’s room. The little girls babbled on like if she was confirming what Geist had said. “Don't worry; they won't hold it against you. Besides, those two need the practice.”

 

Geist made her way down to the dining room where several of the family members were serving themselves. Geist took the seat next to the high chair, where she sat Aria, before serving herself food. Everything was delicious, from the coffee to the freshly baked bread that placed in the middle of the table. Light conversation filled the room as adult and children ate their breakfast. Little by little members of the family joined the group that was already seated.  Geist took a sip from her coffee cup and looked around the table and soon her eyes landed on one of Yuzuriha’s kids, the oldest of her kids. The girl looked like she was in a hurry to finish her breakfast and go out to play. Geist understood the girl wanting to get more out of her day as summer vacation was getting closer and closer to ending. All you wanted as a kid was to play, swim, climb, have as much fun as you could.

 

‘Aww… To be a kid again.’ Geist thought to herself as she looked at the rest of the children that were finishing their breakfast.

 

Geist grabbed the spoon on the tray and began to stir Aria’s cereal on her small bowl. She had to place her attention on the smallest member of the family. Aria looked at Geist awaiting the first spoonful of food. She opened her mouth as soon as the spoon was near her mouth. Geist continued feeding Aria, alternating from her eating her food and making sure Aria ate hers. The light conversation kept going on and some of the kids had already left the table. Geist looked up from feeding Aria when she heard the familiar voice she was waiting to hear. Seeing Yuzhuria and Yato walking into the dining was what she had been waiting for. Geist waited patiently for the couple to grab breakfast and get settled in their seats.

 

“Why are you feeding Aria?” Yuzuriha asked once she noticed that Geist was the one with her little girl. “Why do you have her? Shaina is supposed to be the one that has her. Where is she?”

 

“Shaina and Shaka are still asleep,” Bartch answered instead of Geist as she placed more bread at the table. She knew that her daughter was on a mission, as to why she had set this unknown mission of hers, she had no clue.

 

“Are you thinking of saving some food for them or should we wait until they wake?” Celintha asked her sister-in-law.

 

“I have some food set aside for them, but if they want something else I will make it.” Bartch took a seat and refilled her cup with coffee.

 

“So, why are you feeding Aria, Geist?” Yuzuriha tried once more as they had already answered her question about the whereabouts of her cousin.

 

“Because… You were to urged to have sex last night that you ended up sticking your little girl to my pregnant twin sister.” Geist said as she fed a spoonful of food to the little girl.

 

“I was not urged…” Yuzuriha was soon interrupted.

 

“Yes, you were.” Violate said not carrying that she had added herself to the conversation.

 

“No, I wasn't.” Yuzuriha turned to look at her cousin.

 

“The bedroom where Aiacos and I stayed last night is right next to yours.” Violate smirked at her cousin with that act alone was enough to reassure Yuzuriha that she had heard them. “You were urged. How long has it been since you last had sex? One week? Two, maybe three...”

 

“I would say it been a while since she last had sex,” Geist added herself back into the conversation.

 

“It sure sounded like it.” Violate replied to her cousin’s statement. She took a bite to her buttered bread before continuing.

 

Yuzuriha, on the other hand, tried desperately to change the topic so the kids that remained wouldn’t catch anything that they shouldn’t hear, but it was too late. Before she had any chance to chime in, she listened to the voice of one of her youngest asking her what did the words urged and sex meant. Her eyes narrowed as she turned to look at her cousins and gave them a look that would scare any of her kids.

 

“Ushio, mommy will explain that later. Geist!” Yuzuriha didn’t know whether she would have to or not, but for now, it was good enough.

 

“What?” Geist asked innocently as her lips sported a smirk. There was no way that Yuzuriha was going to get the best of her. She had done enough by forcing Shaina to take care of Aria for an entire day, and Geist needed to avenge her twin somehow.

 

“Sex!” Carlo said out loud which only made some of the grown-ups laugh, encouraging him to say it once more.

 

“Sex!” Ushio followed suit as he too gained a couple of laughs from the adults.

 

“Don’t use that word. Only adults use those kind of words.” Yuzuriha tried to do damage control, but the tone in her voice projected worry more than anything else. “ Ushio and Carlo, why don't you go play now?”

 

The two kids got up from their seat, content that they would get to go out and play. Neither one asked about why it was a grown-up word, but they had seemed to understand that they weren’t supposed to say such things. Violate paid no attention as to her son saying the word sex. She knew that it wouldn’t matter as long as he didn't say it anymore it would be forgotten. She knew that sooner or later the talk about the birds and the bees would come up, but it was nothing to worry about at the moment. Her little boy was five years old and was more interested in going outside to play than anything else. Yuzuriha, on the other hand, was livid by the whole situation her cousin had created.

 

“Thanks to both of you, now I have to worry about explaining the word sex to my child,” Yuzuriha said once the children had left the dining room.

 

“Anytime,” Geist said as she finished feeding Aria and gave her the bottle her aunt had placed on the table. She laughed at the look her cousin was giving her. “Oh gosh, Yuzuriha, it's not the end of the world. I highly doubt that one of your many kids has every caught you and Yato having sex.”

 

“I think we all caught you plenty of times and we aren’t and weren’t kids at the time.” Violate chimed in, adding herself once more into the conversation.

 

Yuzuriha tried to play it off as if she’d never been caught by one of her kids when she and Yato were in mid-act, but the shocking cough of Yato had given it away. There had been more than one occasion when one of the kids had walked in on them. She would still try to play it off as if not. There was no point in giving the family more ammo to her sex life.

 

“I… I don’t think they have or else I would remember,” Yuzuriha said avoiding all eye contact.

 

“That’s a straight out yes,” Geist said after swallowing the sip of coffee she had taken.

 

“It is an obvious yes.” Violate added with a smirk on her lips.

 

“Ok, enough about my sex life…”

 

“What else are we going to talk about now? Besides, you are the one that brought it up since you so desperately want to know why Shaina isn’t seeing to your child.” Geist’s tone was a little more serious now. She didn’t like being pushed around by her older cousin, and she liked it even less when she did it to Shaina. “Oh and just to let you know. Shaina and Shaka are heading back to Florence today, so there will be no sticking Aria with them today.”

 

“I need her to take care of Aria for me today. I have to start preparations for the wedding we have booked at the villa for this coming Saturday.” Yuzuriha said not caring what Geist had just told her.

 

“Well, it will have to be someone else because neither of them, including myself, will do it. We have things to do in Florence before we head back home.” Geist pushed her plate away and her coffee cup closer. She figured Yuzuriha would try to get Shaina to babysit once more.

 

“Yuzuriha, I will take care of Aria for you. I always do when you have to prep for a wedding.” Bartch finally spoke up after listening to her daughter and niece go back and forth.

 

“I need for Shaina to do it.” Yuzuriha insisted.

 

“What is it with you and giving Shaina a hard time?” Violate asked as she had grown tired of Yuzuriha’s insistence. “Let her be. She’s had it hard enough as it is and you adding more to it won't help matters.”

 

“She needs to learn…”

 

“She will, sweetie, but it won't be by you. You have to let her enjoy her vacation and spend some time with her husband too.” Bartch had to nip her daughter’s insistence in the bud. She had let it go on for too long, and now she needed to put a stop to it. “I will take care of Aria, and that will be the end of that.”

 

Geist gave Yuzuriha and smirk of triumph as her aunt had put a stop to all the nonsense. She couldn’t see what had gotten into her cousin to act with Shaina that way, but she wasn’t about to let her walk all over her sister. Geist mentally thanked her aunt and soon excused herself from the table. Celintha, who was sitting on the other side of the high chair, told Geist that she would keep an eye on Aria. Geist was thankful that both aunts had stepped up. She soon left the dining room and headed to the room that she was staying. On her way there she passed her sister’s room and stopped at the door. She stepped closer to the door and placed her ear to see if she could hear anything. Geist wasn’t surprised that there was no sound coming from the other side of the door. She stepped back and knocked once, twice, before she even dared to open the door. She turned the doorknob and opened the door slowly, still a bit unsure that she would end up seeing something that she wasn’t supposed to. Geist waited a few seconds before opening the door just enough to to get a good view of the bed. A sigh of relief escaped her mouth as she found her sister and brother-in-law in the same position that she had seen them last. Both were still sound asleep, and the only sound was soft breathing coming from them. Geist closed the door once more and made her way to her room. There was no way that she would wake them and she hoped that everyone in the house had the common decency in doing the same. For the time being, she would make sure to have everything ready to head back to Florence. 

 

 

 

**_ July 25th, 1:40 pm  _ **

 

Geist looked at the materials that could be useful in one of the many of the weddings that she was planning. As she felt the material of one of the many rolls of fabric, she couldn’t help but think that by this time next year she would be running all the events at the vineyard back home. She felt a little excited and even considered asking Misty if he wanted to join her. Then she thought against it, as for sure he would be the one the would end up taking over her clients. This thought alone brought other things into question; things that she hadn't considered at all. She worried for a moment, but then she concentrated on the task at hand, looking at fabrics and seeing which ones she could have sent to the states.

 

The older woman that owned the shop and began to speak with Geist in her thick English accent. Geist smiled politely, and let the woman finish before she spoke to x9her in her native tongue. She began to ask more questions and most importantly, to arrange for them to be shipped. The older woman gave Geist all the information she needed and excused herself to let her continue looking around. Geist walked around the store looking at different fabrics. The older woman had given her a paper where she could write down all the ones she would like to order. There was so much to look at in that store that Geist lost track of time. She loved all this. All the wedding preparation, the wedding dress, the food, the music. She loved it all. As she looked at a beautiful off-white fabric that would be perfect for a bridal gown. There were so many thoughts that rushed into her head. So many questions that she started asking herself, that she hadn’t thought about in a long time. The question she asked herself was if one day she would be getting married. Then, the other obvious question that followed was when would it be.

 

Geist loved being single, she liked dating, and she loved having sex. Marriage was something that she and Shaina always played around when they were teenagers. They liked watching the bride and groom say ‘I Do’ in front of the priest and their loved ones. They used to look at wedding magazines and talk about which movie star they would end up marrying. As Geist continued to feel the fabric between her fingers, she wished she had the opportunity to help her sister plan her perfect wedding, and she wanted the chance to design her own. She needed to think more on this topic, especially if later on she would try to convince her sister into having a wedding.

 

Deep in her thoughts, Geist had entirely missed the fact that Mii had entered the store and was just a few feet away from her. It wasn’t until her sister-in-law was waving her hand in front of her face that she finally noticed her. Geist laughed at herself as she saw her sister-in-law shaking her head. Geist and Mii dismissed the silly situation, and both continued to look around the shop. Mii began helping Geist in picking out several fabrics that would look great for other events other than weddings. Both women even decided to pick out some samples, which they would take with them, for the vineyard back in the states. After thirty more minutes of looking around and picking out fabrics, Geist handed in the list of everything that needed to be ordered and mailed to the states. The older woman placed the pieces of fabric samples in a bag and ran Geist’s work card over the credit card machine. Once the payment went through, and Geist signed the small piece of paper, both women headed out. Mii and Geist walked down the city street and made their way to a baby store. They walked around the store, stopping every two feet oohing and awing baby clothing.

 

“So, you think that Shaina is expecting a girl?” Mii asked as she grabbed a pink dress with light pink polka dots from the clothing rack. She showed it to Geist before handing it to her.

 

“I think she is.” Geist took the dress that Mii handed her and held it at eye level. “This is an adorable dress.”

 

“I think with some little shoes and those little-ruffled socks it would look adorable,” Mii suggested as she looked at the next dress on the clothing rack. “I think we should also look at boys clothing. You could be wrong, you know?”

 

“Oh, I am never wrong, and I’m sure my sister is expecting a girl,” Geist smirked as she picked up a little pink dress from where she was looking.

 

“Ok, ok… If your magical twin powers are correct then maybe I should look into seeing what I have from when (her little girl’s name) was a baby. I’m sure Shaina would like to have some of Nadia’s clothes, don't you think?”

 

“Yeah… Wait, aren’t you and my brother going to have any more kids?” Geist asked as she looked up at her sister-in-law as she hung the dress back on the rack.

 

“We’ve talked about it. Nadia is getting older and we do think it's time for her to have another sibling, but it's hard. You know…” Mii left the clothing back on the rack before moving to the next one.

 

“Didn’t the doctor mention that it would be easier the second time?” Geist asked as she moved to the next rack.

 

“Not exactly, but we would need to go again, and I would need to start treatment again.” Mii walked away and began to look into other baby clothing. There were so many that every single one made that feeling about becoming a mother again grow more. Lately, that feeling was growing more and more, and the day her husband told her about Shaina being pregnant it had awakened that feeling even more. “That’s the only thing I don't look forward to.”

 

“It would be exciting if you and Shaina have babies that are around the same age. I think that would be good. You always need a partner in crime, someone you can play with, and a best friend.” 

 

“I guess you’re right. How about you? When are you going to settle down and have kids of your own?” Mii looked up at her sister-in-law, knowing full well that whatever would come out of Geist's mouth would be entertaining, or it would have something to do with sex.

 

“Hasn’t crossed my mind at all.” Geist continued to look at the baby accessories.

 

“Really? Not even with your sister that married the man she loves and having a baby soon?” Mii moved to where Geist was standing and began to look through all the accessories.

 

“I'm serious. I like my singlehood, besides I am seeing a very tall, good-looking fireman at the moment.” Geist glanced at her sister-in-law to see if there would add anything, but after nothing came, she continued. “I don't want to settle down just yet. I am having too much fun.”

 

Geist took out her phone from her purse, and she began to look through her Facebook page. She looked through all her friends and looked through all of them until she found the one that she had been searching. She checked their pictures and picked the best recent one she could find. Geist gave her phone to Mii so that she could see the picture. Mii took the phone and looked at the picture. She zoomed in on the image to get a better look at him since there were three other people in the picture. She figured right away who Geist was seeing. The guy stood out right away. The man was tall, tanned skin, but not as good looking as her sister-in-law had said. They had different types of taste when it came to men, but Geist didn’t seem to have any specific type. In the end, the men she usually dated only shared a couple of things in common, and that is what made them Geist’s taste in men.

 

“My goodness, the man is sure tall,” Mii said as she handed the phone back.

 

“And he is hung like a horse too,” Geist smirked wickedly at her sister-in-law.

 

“I did not want to know that.” Mii continued to look at the baby accessories and found it a little surprising that she had already slept with a man. “How long have you've been seeing him?”

 

“A week or so…” Geist didn’t notice the surprised look on Mii’s face until she didn’t hear any feedback from her. She looked up, and that is when she saw it. “What?”

 

“You’ve been seeing him for a little over a week, and you already slept with him? On how many dates have you've been on?” Mii placed the burping blanket back on the table and gave the younger woman her full attention.

 

“We had seen each other before, but not on a date or something like that. We have officially gone out on one date, and that was pretty much it. Aldebaran invited me on another date, but I told him that I wouldn’t be back in the city for a week.” Geist still held on to a bib that she had picked up. She never liked to get the judgemental look from anyone, and she had never gotten it from Mii, but she was feeling a little judged at the moment. “He sent me a message through WhatsApp yesterday, and we set up another date for when I return.”

 

“I still think it was a little too soon for you to sleep with him,” Mii said as she looked down at the table and tried hard not to judge her.

 

“Yeah… But I also see it as a good thing. All the awkwardness is out of the way.  It makes everything easier for me, I suppose.” Geist placed the bibs in the basket that she had in her arm and made way to the next table to see what she could find. There were several pairs of shoes and socks with lace on them, perfect for a little girl. She picked them up and showed them to her sister-in-law. Hopefully, it would bring the judgemental part of the conversation to an end. “What do you think of these?”

 

“They’re cute, but I think that you should wait until Shaina has the ultrasound done. That way you’ll know for sure if she will have a girl or not.” Mii shook her head knowing well that Geist might ignore her advice and purchase things for a baby girl. She too had to stop herself thinking what she had in the house that could be passed on to Shaina’s baby. “I think you should wait.”

 

“Yeah… maybe.” Geist said as she placed the socks back on the display table. It made sense what her sister-in-law was telling her, but she was just too excited. “I will take these bibs though. I think whether its a girl or boy; it will need these. Besides, the baby will need to know that I am their favorite aunt.

 

“Oh, Geist…” Mii said as she also thought about at least buying an item or two from the store. She looked at her watch before heading to the register. “Has the mommy-to-be texted you yet?”

 

“Oh, I haven’t even checked.” Geist took out her phone as she followed Mii. She placed her things on the counter and continued with her phone. There were two missed messages from her sister. The first one said that they were thinking of getting something to eat after the museum. The second message was Shaina letting her know where they were already heading to get food. “Seems like the mama-to-be is hungry. They are heading to a restaurant as we speak.”

 

“No! Text her back and tell her to meet us at the house. Mom said that she would be preparing lunch for us.” Mii was about to pay when she grabbed Geist items so that she would call Shaina.

 

Geist walked away from the counter and began to dial Shaina’s number. She hoped that she could catch her sister in time before they had even got to the restaurant. It only took four rings before Shaina picked up the phone and Geist began to tell her sister about heading to the house. She heard how her sister sighed before telling her that she would meet her back in the house. Geist only assumed that Shaina had been hungry. There was no doubt that this would be something that sooner or later she would become the norm. After several weeks of trying to get her sister to eat and failing every time. It seemed that from now on it would not appear that hard. Geist was thankful for that.

 

Mii soon joined her and Geist let her know that Shaina and Shaka would be heading back to the house. Both women made their way to the door and thanked the store owner once more before heading out into the busy street. It was a short drive to the house, but they both couldn’t wait to head home and eat.

 

 

 

**_ July 25th, 3:30 pm _ **

 

Geist kept on swiping on the pictures she had received from her neediest bride-to-be. Esmeralda had sent her thirteen pictures of wedding dresses that she had seen from one of the many bridal magazines she had seen in the past week. She had also posted twenty photos of table centerpiece ideas, and five photographs of bouquets that might go with some of the dresses she had liked. There was also a long, very long, email that she had written to her about everything that was on her mind about the wedding.

 

Geist continued to scroll on every single picture she had received. She had started all over and began to write notes on every single image. There was so much detail in that email that Geist had to stop her writing her notes every so often to rechecked the email. She kicked herself mentally a couple of times for opening that email that she knew very well belong to Esmeralda, but she had seen the urgency in the subject line of the email that it had been enough to open it. There was so much information, so many pictures, and way too much drama in one single email.  There was a couple of things in those pictures that she could use for the bride-to-be’s wedding, but she knew that the woman would change her mind in a couple of days.

 

“Working?” From the corner of her eye, Geist saw the person that had sat next to her.

 

“Yeah, it’s one of my neediest brides.” Geist placed her things next to her and gave her full attention to her brother. “But you came at the right time. I need a break.”

 

“Neediest bride?” Manigoldo asked as he looked at his sister.

 

“Yes! I think she is at the top of my bride's list. The girl calls me none stop, and I am guessing that she knows I am not at the office, so she emailed me. It’s fully detailed.” Geist fixed herself on the patio sofa.

 

“Well, I am glad I came around to give you a break.” Manigoldo took a sip of his glass of water before setting down on the table.

 

“Thanks! There are times I wish I could pass her on to another planner, but I am stuck with her until I leave or she decides to elope.” Geist thought about it for a minute and reminded herself she would be out of her commision. She had to keep reminded herself of that over and over. “Well, enough about work. So when are you and Mii thinking of having baby number two?”

 

“A little too direct, are you?” Manigoldo saw his wife come up to them at that moment. She placed a tray filled with dessert plates, forks, and drinking glasses. She smiled at them both before heading back to the house. “Why the question?”

 

“I think your wife wants to have another one, especially since Shaina is expecting.”  Geist smiled as she saw her niece place the napkins on the table. The little girl smiled at them and soon ran off towards the other side of the backyard.

 

“She said something to you, didn’t she?” Mani hadn’t thought about having another kid, but he knew that it would come up once Mii saw Shaina.

 

“She might have mentioned something along the line. She is going to start trying to bring it up and sooner or later you both will be expecting your second baby. There’s nothing wrong with that, and it's just obvious it will happen.” Geist knew her brother would eventually give in to his wife. Although she liked the idea of becoming an aunt for the third time, she was getting a little tired of hearing everyone around her wanting children. “I see Mii and Yuzuriha giving the news about being pregnant in a couple of weeks.”

 

“Stop it.” Manigoldo rolled his eyes as he heard his sister going on and on. He didn’t want another kid. He was alright with his little girl.

 

“Think about it. Nadia is almost 5 and you don't want to have them too far apart like you, Shaina and I.” Geist noticed the look on her brother’s face and wanted to continue, but she heard her phone chime. She picked it up and was dreading to think it was her neediest bride, again. She looked at her phone and saw that it was a text message from her mother. “Hold up…”

 

“Ok.” Manigoldo sat on the patio sofa waiting for his sister to finish going through her phone. He saw from afar as his little girl was busy trying to do what Shaka and Aphrodite were doing at the moment.

 

Geist read over the text message that her mother had sent her and she thought about how she should reply. She chewed on her bottom lip and continued to look on the screen. The answer wasn’t coming to her, and she knew that it wouldn’t anytime soon.

 

“What’s going on?” Manigoldo asked as he had noticed how his sister started to chew on her bottom lip. He was well aware of his sister’s nervous ticks, both sisters.

 

“Nothing,” Geist answered a little too fast, but with the look that he was giving her she quickly gave in. “Alright… Here, read this and tell me how to go about this.”

 

Manigoldo took his sister’s cell phone and read the text message she had received. He didn't have to see who it was from as it was easy to tell just by reading it. He scrolled up a little bit more to check the previous messages sent and then read them one by one until he re-read the most current one. Mani gave the cell phone back to his sister and leaned back in his seat.

 

“Are you going to tell her?” Manigoldo asked as he looked at Geist.

 

“I have to, or else mom will appear at Shaina’s front door thinking that Shaina would be okay with it.” Geist chewed on her lip.

 

“Has she spoken to Shaina? Did Shaina tell her about the wedding, the husband, and the pregnancy?” Manigoldo already knew the answer to his question but was hoping that she and his mother had spoken.

 

“You know very well that Shaina and Mom don’t speak unless it's necessary. I’ve been the one to keep mom in the loop of her becoming a grandmother once more.” Geist felt a little bad for going behind Shaina’s back and sending updates about her pregnancy to their mother, but she was their mother after all. Her relationship was nothing close to the relationship her twin had with the woman that gave birth to them. “I’ve been sending pictures to mom. I even have gone as far as to send video.”

 

“Shaina will get mad if she ever found out you’ve been doing that.” Mani didn’t want to imagine how Shaina would react, but he would help out if needed. “Tell mom that you haven’t talked to Shaina about her visiting. To give it some time.”

 

“This isn’t the first time she has asked me that we should get together, that she wants to see Shaina and meet Shaka. You’ve seen the texts.” Geist didn’t know what else she could tell her mother.

 

“Here give me your phone.” Manigoldo took the phone from her sister once more and began writing a short, but somewhat Geist like text. He handed the phone back to his sister once he had sent the text.

 

“What the heck?” Geist looked over the message that her brother had sent on her behalf. There was no way her mother would think that she wrote the text. “Mom will never believe this came from me. What were you thinking?”

 

“Mom will be fine. She will understand, and it will give you enough time to try and convince Shaina.” Mani never understood the entire ordeal when it came to Shaina and his mother, but he was smart enough never to be in the middle of it. As for Geist, she tried her best to give in to both sides but sometimes was caught in the middle of it.

 

“I? It's we, WE are going to try and convince Shaina to meet up with mom.” Geist looked at her brother and saw that his reaction. “Don’t look at me like that Mani. You have to help me.”

 

“No, I don't,” Mani said as he sat up straight in his seat.

 

“Yes, you do.” Geist wasn’t going to do the convincing on her own; she would need all the help she could get.

 

“Nope.” Mani wanted to laugh at their childish back and forth, but he wasn’t going to get involved with the drama that was to come.

 

“Mani! Please, you have to help me. I will never get Shaina to meet up with mom.” Geist needed all the help she could get, and she knew that her brother would be the best she could get.

 

“No!”

 

“Oh, come on…” Geist knew she sounded a bit, but she didn't care.

 

“No, Geist, I am not getting into all this.” Mani was going to be as firm as he possibly could.

 

“What are you not getting into?” Mii asked as she had walked up to the table and placed one of the two desserts.

 

“I just need Mani to help me out with something, but he doesn’t want to give in.” Geist was now on full winey mode.

 

“Maybe I can help.” Mii offered.

 

“No, love, you don’t want to get into this.” This time Mani would do all he could not to get any other family member involved.

 

“Wait, let me tell her and then she can decide…” Geist tried to say, but her brother had quickly cut her off.

 

“No, Geist, no. There is no way you are dragging her into all this.”

 

“Mani...” Geist tried once more, but her brother wouldn't let her get a word or two in.

 

Mii looked at her husband, and sister-in-law was going back and forth. She couldn’t tell what either one was talking about, but this wasn't the first time that these two would go back and forth. Her attention soon was directed to the tug she was feeling on her left side. Nadia was tugging at her dress looking up at her, she looked at her with curiosity as to what was going on. Mii just smiled at her daughter and told her that they should go back to the house. Geist and Mani would never notice that she had left. Whatever it was that those two were going back and forth she would find out later on. All that matter at that moment was helping to get dessert out on the patio so they would all eat soon but most importantly, together.

 

 

 

 

  ** _July 25th, 6 pm_**

 

Annalise sat in one of the chairs of her son’s office. She had made the trip to Florence early that afternoon but hadn’t been able to join them for lunch. There had been things in the city that need her attention, and she needed to complete them before making other plans. The older woman took a sip from a gold rim, a white teacup set for her. Every time that she would be in her son’s home and looked at the small details, like that cup, she reminded herself that Theia had added those little details. She smiled to herself, happy with the idea that her son had found someone he could share his life. All thoughts aside, Annalisa set her attention back to the man that was sitting across from her. She took note once again on his appearance, the way he sat, the way he waited for her to speak. She smiled to herself as she figured that maybe this young man was not expecting to see her that day.

 

Annalisa placed the cup back on the saucer and set it back on the small side table next to her. She fixed herself once more on the chair and put her hands on her lap like she always did. Annalisa turned to the doorway and knew that there would be no interruptions while she talked to the man that her granddaughter had married. Looking back at the man that sat across from her, she looked at him from head to toe before she started.

 

“I didn’t want to prolong the conversation you and I have pending. I am well aware that you, Shaina, and Geist will be heading out soon.” Annalisa’s tone was firm, direct, showing the young man that it this was important to her. “So tell me Shaka, what are your plans with my granddaughter after the year probation has ended?”

 

Shaka’s assumption that the woman knew what is going on between he and Shaina were confirmed. It came to no surprise to him that she knew, and he also understood the reason behind the tall-tale Shaina had told the older woman. The short time he had spent with his wife’s family had shed light on a couple of things. Shaka thought about what he needed to say to the older woman. He knew that he had to be honest, and direct, just like he had been with his wife’s father.

 

“I want to continue being married to your granddaughter. I want our child to grow in a home where he has both parents under the same roof.” Shaka gave her almost the same response he had given to Shaina’s father. Every single time he had been honest. He wanted for them to stay together, he wanted to give their child a home.

 

“I understand that completely, but tell me Shaka. What if Shaina hadn’t been pregnant in the first place? Or what if she had lost the child that day that she was in the hospital? Would you have still wanted to stay married to a woman you married on a whim?” Annalisa wouldn't sugar coat anything to the young man. It was time for him to see how overprotective a grandmother she could be. She knew Sage had been harsh to let the marriage continue the way it was, but now it was her turn to have a say in the matter.

 

“The day after the wedding I was clear with your granddaughter that I wanted to remain married. I even shared with her that to me marriage is a sacred vow.” Shaka tried to explain as best as he could. He thought about what the woman had asked and could only come up with an answer that was obvious to him. “I still wanted to remain married to her even before I had agreed on filing for an annulment.”

 

“Shaina was the one that asked you for an annulment?” Annalise didn't sound too surprised by what Shaka had said, but she needed confirmation. She heard his response and continued. “I believe in the sanctity of marriage just as much as you, but even I think it's a little too old fashion, especially in this case. Do you see this more like a marriage of convenience, an arranged marriage, sort of speak?”

 

“I gave in to Shaina’s request for an annulment, and I even respected our decision even after she told me about the pregnancy.”  Shaka wasn't so sure as to how to answer whether he saw this as a marriage of convenience or not. It gave him new questions to think over before even considering an answer. “To answer your question from earlier, giving the opportunity, I would have continued to stay married to Shaina even if she hadn't been pregnant. Also, if Shaina would have lost the child, I would have remained by her side regardless if our marriage was on a whim.”

 

Annalisa leaned back on the chair and contemplated on what the young man had said. She remained silent for a minute or two and at a glanced sized the man sitting across from her. The older woman needed to know as much as she could from this man. She wanted to make sure that he was the type of man that her granddaughter needed by her side.

 

“Mrs. Rinaldi… My views on marriage might be old-fashion to some, and I never thought of taking it lightly. I understood the stance your granddaughter took in wanting an annulment. I understood her views on wanting to take full responsibility for the child, but I would have never accepted her reasons. If that were the case, I would have let her have her way and not fought for co-parenting before our annulment hearing.” Shaka took a small pause as he saw how Annalisa straightened herself up in the chair. He needed to watch how he said certain things and reminded himself that his usual way of speaking might not be best at this moment. “My marriage to Shaina is arranged, to some extent, by the judge. He arranged for us to have couples counseling so that we can build a relation to co-parent our child. He arranged a way for us to live under the same roof so we can give our child a home. The rest would be up to us whether in a year we continue to stay together or not.”

 

“And what will happen after the year is up Shaka. Am I to assume you will continue to play house as you both have been doing for the past month or so, or should I assume you both will be heading your separate ways?” Annalisa would continue to push for answers. She knew she would get them from him, but she knew some questions might end up being unanswered.

 

“That remains to be seen. I can't speak on behalf of Shaina, but I intend to remain married to her. I want our child to have a real family, and have parents that love and care for one another.” Shaka understood more and more why Shaina’s grandmother was questioning him the way she was. “If there is something I have told Shaina is that I want this marriage to work.”

 

“Shaina won't make it as simple, and I'm guessing you know that. It's not like she means to make things difficult, but she has a way of doing so.” It was time for Shaka to learn something that she was certain he didn't know. “Shaina has only been interested in marriage, once, and that didn't turn out so well. I don't know the specifics of the breakup, but I know it wasn't pretty.”

 

Annalisa noticed how the man waited for her to continue. He gave no sign of interrupting her, or to even ask a question. She turned slightly in her seat and grabbed her cup filled with tea. Bringing out the dirty laundry of her family wasn't pleasant, but at times like this, it was necessary.

 

“Shaina would raise her child alone if it was up to her. After the heartbreak she went through, marriage was not in her plans anymore. So you understand why her staying married might cause some problem for you.” Annalisa placed the cup on the saucer and placed it back on the side table. She assumed Shaka had no clue of Shaina’s past relationship and of the relationship she had with her mother. “Also, you are well aware that Shaina comes from a divorced family. Shaina was witness to countless arguments between her parents. That alone would make anyone question whether being married is a such a great idea or not.”

 

“Mrs. Rinaldi, I never expected for this marriage to be simple. I understand that it might take more than sleeping in the same bed and sharing a meal to make this marriage work. I am willing to do anything it takes to make it work.” Shaka didn’t know what to add. The only other thing left was to demonstrate to the family, to Shaina, and to himself, that he would do his best to make it work.

 

“I believe that you will do whatever it takes to make it work, and whether you both have realized it or not, there is a closeness already growing between the two.” Annalisa finally smiled at the young man. She knew her tone throughout the conversation had been straightforward and harsh at times, but it was with the purpose. She still liked Shaka for Shaina, even if she knew how those two had ended up married. He was a good match for Shaina.  “I will have a long conversation with my granddaughter later on when I feel the time is right, but for now I will leave it like that.”

 

Shaka leaned back in the chair and thought over what the older woman had said. It wasn’t the first time he had heard someone say that they’ve seen something between him and Shaina. It only confirmed what he had thought before. Others were also noticing the change between him and his wife. Shaka’s attention soon went back to the woman that was sitting across from her. Annalisa had stood up and grabbed the empty cup from the side table and took a few steps towards him until she stood in front of him. The woman smiled at him and placed her free hand on his shoulder.

 

“Be patient with her Shaka,” Annalisa said before she smiled at Shaka, and made her way out of her son’s office.

 

Shaka saw the older woman leave the room and turned back to the empty seat that was Annalisa had occupied. Too many things were running through his mind at the time. Shaka straightend up in the chair as he remained seated for several minutes. He had learned a great deal about his wife, things that he was sure that one way or the other would have come to light as time passed. LIght laughter coming from the first floor caught his attention, then heard the familiar voice of his wife’s niece asking for him. Shaka stood up and for a moment considered going out into the hallway before someone told her where he was. To his luck, he soon heard the someone running up the staircase and then footsteps approaching the room.

 

“Uncle Shaka, hurry, mama said that I could go in the pool. Come on! Hurry!” Nadia ran up to her uncle and took his hand. She pulled him so that he would follow along. “I’m going to go put my bathing suit, and so is daddy and uncle Aphrodite, and aunt Gigi. I think mama and papa are also going to get dressed. Do you think aunt Sisi will be able to get in the pool? Will the baby be okay?”

 

Nadia didn't give Shaka any time to answer or say anything for that matter. The little girl seemed to be on a mission, and she wouldn’t let him have a word in or any way to escape her hold. It wasn’t a tight hold by any means, but he found it a somewhat impressive that Nadia had accepted him as her uncle so quickly. Since she had found out that he was her new uncle she had accepted him without holding back. Nadia wanted to spend as much time with him when she wasn’t playing with the rest of her cousins. She wanted to know what he was doing while he was meditating and the reason why he was doing it. He found her sweet, and loving, as she always seemed to be happy to see him.  Shaka didn’t think of much and just gave into the little girl. He smiled at the little girl, and at himself. It was a different territory for him, and he seemed to be enjoying it. Without realizing it, Shaka was slowly embracing a part of him that he never thought existed. He was embracing that side of him that was becoming a father.

 

 

 

 

**_ July 27th, 9 am _ **

 

Marin looked at the cake she had on the turntable and proceeded to scrape a little more icing off the side of the cake. She was in a great mood, she had been in a great mood since Monday, and it had been going on all week. The vain of her existence had called off since Sunday, and it seemed like she wasn’t going to appear all week. Marin only hoped the Hannah had finally chosen a different path and had finally quit. It was terrible of her to think that way, but it was worse having the girl around messing up every single order they needed to do. At least that is how Marin would justify her thoughts. Marin had heard that the Hannah should have been back the day before, but she was still a no-show. There was a strict policy in the company that everyone followed through when it came to calling off. Since the rumors at work about Hannah absence had nothing to do with her being ill or in the hospital; she hoped that Anika, her boss, would follow the policy she made every employee follow. For the moment she would enjoy the days Hannah wouldn’t be around.

 

Marin finished frosting the cake and put it away to bring another one to the prep table. Several cakes needed to be iced, and it would most likely take all morning, but she loved it. Asterion brought one of the cakes and set it across from hers. They both seemed to be in the same mood, and it was lovely.

 

“This is how things should be. You know, like before.” Marin spoke up as she pipped on some frosting on the cake.

 

“You mean without Hannah coming in, pretending she was supposed to come in early,” Asterion said as he took the piping bag in her hand. “Yeah… It’s nice not having her around.”

 

“I think she is just trying to weasel her way into working in the mornings. I also think that sooner or later she will try to bump me out.” There had been several times that thought had run through her head. Marin knew that Hannah wanted to get her out of the shop and work with Asterion. She was even surprised when she figured out that Hannah had a crush on Asterion. “She likes you.”

 

“No, she doesn’t.” Asterion looked up to see the woman who was working across from him. She was busy working that she never looked up at him.

 

“Oh yes, she does.” Marin looked up and noticed that Asterion had stopped doing what he was doing. He was sporting a serious look on his face. “What? You mean to tell me you hadn’t noticed?”

 

“No, I hadn’t. I don't think she does.” Asterion placed the piping bag on the table and put his hands on the table.

 

“Oh my gosh! You had no idea.” Marin set her piping bag on the table and gave her friend her full attention. “I figured it out a week or so ago when she started coming in the morning saying that she thought she opened.”

 

They both stayed silent for a moment. Neither one said a single word until both heard the girls from the shop laughing. Marin was a bit surprised that her friend hadn’t noticed that detail. She couldn't help but smile at how clueless he seemed to be. 

 

“I am not going to be mean or anything of the sort. You are so clueless. That live version of a Barbie doll likes you, and it's more like a high school crush. What is she nineteen, twenty? So yeah, I would say a high school crush.” Marin smiled at him and grabbed the uneven spatula to smooth out the frosting.

 

“She is not my type…” Asterion began to say only to be cut off.

 

“She is every straight man's type. What straight man wouldn’t want to date her, or have sex with her for that matter?” Marin began to work on the cake once she had finished saying what she said. It was true. Hannah was the type of girl that any straight male liked. She was tall, with long blond hair and a supermodel body.

 

“She is pretty, but she’s not my type of woman.” Asterion grabbed the piping bag and began to work on his cake. “I started seeing someone.”

 

“Really?” Marin cleaned off the offset spatula from the excess frosting. She scraped over a mixing bowl and continued working. “Do I know her? Is that why I hear about this?”

 

“She’s the trainer from the gym. You know. The one that does the spinning class.”

 

“Oh my gosh!” Marin had to keep a tight grip on her spatula as she felt like it would slip out of her hand when she heard his words. “Wow! Spin trainer. She seems… Nice”

 

“She is nice.” Asterion tried to keep the conversation going, but he was also trying to finish the cake so that he could continue with the others that needed to be completed.

 

“Well, that’s good.” Marin felt glad for her friend. It had been a while that she had seen him date someone.

 

Both continued to make small talk as they frosted one cake after the other. It was excellent, the whole thing was nice. The low sound of music playing in the background, the small talk, the moment that it was them working without significant interruptions. It felt like before, and they both enjoyed it. After several cakes, Asterion and Marin decided to take a small coffee break. Each one went to grab a cup and a pastry from the front of the shop. It had become their thing since Monday, and they hoped that this would be their thing each morning.

 

As Marin leaned on one of the tables, she felt as her phone in her pocket began to vibrate. She placed her cup of coffee next to her pastry and quickly took her phone out. She figured it might Shaina letting her know that they had arrived, but she smiled when she saw who the sender was. A smile appeared on her lips, and she opened the text message. There were two times during the day when Aioria had begun to text her, and although their conversations were short, they said enough. It was a pleasant surprise to see him text her at that time of the day.

 

His message was short as she figured that he was busy working. Aioria wanted to see her tomorrow night. He had time where he could get away from work and be later without his wife suspecting a thing. There was a brief moment where she thought it was the wrong thing to do, but in all honesty, she was dying to sleep with him again. She waited a few more seconds before replying. Marin let him know that she would be waiting for him in her apartment tomorrow night. His reply caked only after a minute after she had sent her message. It showed her that he was eager to know her response. Aioria simply replied that he looked forward to it. Those words were enough to bring another smile to her lips. It had been sufficient to keep that smile on her face for the rest of the day.

 

 

 

 

**_ July 27th 2 pm _ **

 

The phone had been ringing non-stop since the office had opened its doors that morning. Phoebe and Junet had been busy answering phones and scheduling appointment. Kida, Krishna’s wife, was considering going back to the office to work and help them out with the billing part of the office. Asha, Fudo’s wife, had also mentioned joining the practice now that both of the youngest was starting school. They needed all the help they could get, and the group even had a meeting coming up once Shaka would be back from his trip. For the moment it would just be Phoebe and Junet running the front office.

 

Junet finished scheduling an appointment with a patient that had been referred by another doctor. Shaka already had several new patients lined up for the upcoming week, and this one would be another one. New patients were always good for the growth of the business, but she felt that lately, it was becoming too much. Junet locked her screen and took her empty cup from the desk. She told Phoebe she would grab something to drink and maybe take a quick bathroom break. Phoebe simply nodded as she answered the phone once more. With her cell phone in her scrub pocket and her cup in hand, Junet made her way to the employee lounge. She closed the glass door behind her and placed her cup on the counter.

 

 The refrigerator had been filled that Monday with juice, snacks, water, and soda drinks. Junet took out a bottle of juice and set it in the counter along with a small container of strawberries. She took a couple of the berries out of the plastic container and placed them over a napkin she had laid out. This was going to be the perfect snack for her break she so highly deserved. Junet took out her phone and began to scroll down her Facebook page. She noticed Geist current post that she had arrived home and was in much need of a shower. It made her feel happy to know that they had made it back safely. Junet had liked all the pictures and videos that Geist had posted. From Shaina’s baby bump update to all the things they ate and did. It was nice to see some of the pictures where it seemed that her brother and Shaina looked like if they were an actual couple. She had shown the picture to her mother and grandmother of Shaka and Shaina taking care of a cute little girl. Dadi wasn’t surprised at how good they looked together. 

 

All the pictures and videos had been fantastic. The videos were like a small documentary of how her brother and sister-in-law were growing close and becoming an actual couple. Junet stopped herself at the idea of how easy it had been to refer to Shaina as her sister-in-law. It wasn’t bad, not at all, but it was different, natural to think of her in that way. She smiled to herself and took it as a good sign. Junet decided to send a quick text to her mother and grandmother, telling them that Shaka and Shaina were home, just in case her brother hadn’t done so. She also proceeded to text said couple, welcoming them back from their trip.

 

Junet set her phone back down on the counter as she cleaned up after herself and placed the container of strawberries back inside the fridge. She soon heard the familiar notification tone coming from her phone alerting her that a new text message had arrived. She made her way back to the where she had placed her phone, after closing the refrigerator door. As she looked at the screen of her phone, she was a little surprised that the message belonged to none of the people she had texted a few minutes ago. The text was from Hyoga, the man that she was seeing. She opened the message and realized that it wasn’t as short as she had thought it would be. The message included three topics, but only of those three made her get nervous.

 

The first topic was asking her if she would like to go out Friday night, seeing as he would be working most of Saturday. Junet didn’t think anything of it as Hyoga did work in computers and he always had work that needed to be done at the company. He had mentioned to her that they would be installing new computers in one of the sections of the company, so she figured that he would be doing that on Saturday. The second topic of his message was a simple question asking her where she would like to go. He was leaving the option to her seeing as the last time it had been his choice, and they had gone bowling. She had found it a bit silly, but she couldn’t deny that she had fun. It had been the perfect opening for him to introduce her to his friends. Last, but not least, the last topic if that text message. Reading it made her almost her drop her phone on the counter. There in black letters, Hyoga was asking her to join her on Sunday for church and to eat with his family. He wanted her to meet his family, his mother, father, and both of his brothers. Junet didn’t know what to do at that moment. She didn’t reply to his message but re-read it over and over. Carefully, she placed the phone on the counter and read the text once more. She couldn’t understand why her gorgeous Russian was thinking of introducing her to his family. It wasn’t the time; it was too soon for them to meet each other's families.

 

Junet question whether it was too soon to introduce him to her family. The thought kept coming over and over like if it was on auto-repeat. She needed help on this one. She needed to ask her friends for advice. There was no way she would ask her Dadi, as the woman would jump at the chance to meet the man she had been dating for the last couple of weeks. Junet grabbed her from the counter and texted a message to her friends. She needed all the help she could get, and she needed it as soon as possible. As she set the phone back on the table, she thought of texting Hyoga, and their date for Friday night. Her hand froze midway as she couldn’t get herself to reach down and grab her phone once more. Her mind was consumed with the thought of meeting his family. There was way that she could come up with what to ask or where they should go, it was all about meeting the family.

 

Mu’s voice coming from behind her was like sent from above. Junet turned around leaving her phone on the counter and her thoughts on hold. She smiled at the man that she had the longest crush on, and for the first time wondered why things weren’t more straightforward. The man in front of her was the person she should have been ‘introducing’ to her parents. Her father and mother already knew him, of course, but she would be doing it as her boyfriend, the man she had wanted to spend the rest of her life. He was perfect, even if he had a pre-started family, Mu was perfect. He always made her smile, even the times she had cried, anything concerning him made her smile. Junet had to slap herself mentally as the man she crushed on had been saying something, and she had completely zoned out. She felt embarrassed, but at the same time, she also wondered why she was feeling the way she was now that she had Hyoga. She needed to talk to her friends sooner than tomorrow for lunch. This was bad, and wrong of her to do so.

 

Once again, Junet had to slap herself because by the look of it Mu had said something and he was expecting for her to say something. She bit her lip and unconsciously began to make a facial reaction that she had messed up. All she gained was a laugh from Mu. She knew she had been caught and couldn’t help but laugh at herself. There wasn’t anything else she could do but apologize.

 

“Too much on your mind?” Mu asked as he made his way to the refrigerator. 

 

“Yes, I think a little too much. Way, way, too much.” Junet turned to grab her phone and placed it inside her scrub pocket. “Please, tell me what you were saying.”

 

“I was wondering if you’ve heard if the new power couple had arrived already.” Mu grabbed a bottled water and closed the fridge door right after. “I saw the pregnancy picture that Geist posted.”

 

“Oh… You saw that?” Junet sounded a little too surprised.

 

“Yeah, Geist added me when you girls started doing that.” Mu took a sip from his bottled water.

 

“Yes, Geist posted a picture of her bed once she got home. I'm guessing we won’t see Shaina posting anything today since I’m sure she is sleeping at this time. I was considering stopping by after work and taking them something to eat.” Junet had just come up with that idea, but it wasn’t such a bad one. She could text Geist and Marin to meet her there. It all sounded good, but then she heard Mu’s voice, and she told herself that she needed to get out of her thoughts.

 

“It sounds like a good idea, but I think you should call them before you head there. They just got back, and I am sure they want to relax, especially with Shaina being sixteen weeks pregnant.” Mu remembered how Raki sometimes had moments where she would rather lounge around in pajamas all day and take naps during the day. He understood if Shaina would be feeling in the same mood today especially with the long flight they had. “Call them before you show up.”

 

“I will…” Junet managed to say before Mu left the employee lounge.

 

Junet quickly took out her phone and texted Shaina to see if it would be okay to go over later that day. It was no surprise that she didn’t receive a reply right away. She walked back to the front desk and took a seat in her chair. The phone next to her computer rang just a few seconds after she had unlocked her computer. There was no more time to think, no more time to lose herself in her thoughts and begin to ask herself questions that she didn’t know the answer. She just hoped that the question she had texted a few minutes ago would be the one that with an answer.

 

 

 


End file.
